


The Way An Artist Loves His Muse

by Fall_Leaves_Fics



Category: EXO (Band), NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Amnesia, Ancient China, And Yu Qi, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Bottom Huang Zi Tao | Z. Tao, Bottom Nakamoto Yuta, Bottom Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Bottom Xiao Zhan | Sean, Chinese Character, Dancer Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Everyone Is Gay, Except Lucas, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Mutual Pining, Past Torture, Pining, Prostitution, Royalty, Sex Work, Shameless, Smut, Soft Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Sub Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Top Dong Si Cheng | WinWin, Top Wang Yi Bo, Top Wang Yi Bo/Bottom Xiao Zhan | Sean, Top Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Top Xu Ming Hao | The8, Torture, Wen Jun Hui | Jun is Whipped, Xu Ming Hao | The8 is Whipped, Xu Ming Hao | The8-centric, everyone is a simp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:35:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 42,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24228955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fall_Leaves_Fics/pseuds/Fall_Leaves_Fics
Summary: Ask an artist what the prettiest thing in the world is. The answers are as infinite and varied as the artists that are asked. To some, the prettiest thing is the bright sun and blue sky. Others find beauty in the cold moon and inspiring stars.Ask Xu Minghao, and he'll say "The Lotus of Red Leaf."i.e. Xu Minghao is a prince who falls for a brothel dancer named Wen Junhui
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Huang Zi Tao | Z.Tao/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Song Yuqi & Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Wang Yi Bo/Xiao Zhan, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 24
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

Ask an artist what the prettiest thing in the world is. The answers are as infinite and varied as the artists that are asked. To some, the prettiest thing is the bright sun and blue sky. Others find beauty in the cold moon and inspiring stars. Xu Minghao was one of those boys that sought for beauty in nature, admired the sun and the trees in their gorgeous, natural colors. As the youngest son of the emperor, not much was expected from him, so he did whatever he wanted. Turns out, what he wanted to do was create art and study history, observe flowers and play with fashion. His work was worth quite a small fortune, not just because of his high status, but also because of the high quality. Ever since he began distributing his work, the emperor’s family has been consistently praised for having such well rounded sons, and his parents were so thankful for the praise they let him continue. 

But now, even the beautiful exotic flowers of the garden seemed to have lost their color and vibrance, for Minghao’s inspiration was running thin. He had already painted the sun and the sky, the trees and the grass, every single waterfall and stream in the province ten times over, written stories and poems about every little detail in the cities. Hell, he’d already pressed every flower in the garden and made fabric from their delicate patterns. Minghao refused to keep painting the same thing again and again, but he struggled to find something worth his time and effort. 

Maybe a change in scenery?

It sounded like a good idea at the time, but now as he rode horseback beside his brothers through the city, he was almost wishing he hadn’t agreed to come. Sicheng was in front of him slightly, and between them, leading the horses, was Kun, who was ignoring most of the words leaving Sicheng’s mouth with a soft smile on his lips. 

“You two are going to love this place, trust me. Have I ever steered you wrong before?”

“Yes,” Minghao and Kun answered at the same time, and they smiled sneakily at each other at Sicheng’s annoyed whining at their collective shut down. 

“I’m serious, you two. You’ll be thanking me in a few hours, tops.”

Kun just shook his head, and Minghao laughed softly into his hand. Sicheng nicked at his horse and took the lead, leading his brothers down the winding streets of the town to a two story red building towards the center of town. The sign outside read “Red Leaf Tea House.”  


Sicheng leapt from his horse and landed lightly on the ground, Kun and Minghao following in a calmer fashion and Kun shaking his head at the extravagance of his younger brother. They handed their horses to the stable men to tie up, and Sicheng gestured to the tea house entrance. “This is it, boys. Red Leaf, the best tea house in the province.”

Minnghao looked at the sign above the doorway and angled his head to get a better look inside, seeing men seated at the tables and women bustling around in flowing hanfu. He reeled back in surprise before looking at Sicheng with skepticism. “Ge, this is a whorehouse.”

A cheeky grin appeared on the elder’s face, and he ducked out of reach as Kun reached to knock his head. Minghao laughed as Kun advanced again, Sicheng evading him again and again the more he tried to catch him. 

“Listen, Listen! I have a reason! I have a reason, I swear!” Sicheng laughed aloud as he ran around a red pillar in front of the establishment, Kun following slower but ready to strike.

“What ever could be your reason, dear brother, that will make me not hit you for taking the crown prince to a brothel?”

“I thought you might want to get your mind off Yu Qi!” Sicheng stuck his tongue out cheekily as he answered, dodging around the pillar as Kun made for him again. He held a hand out, his smiling dimming though not diminishing completely, and Kun paused to let him speak. “I seriously think both of you need a break and have some fun. Women or not, this place has the best alcohol in the province, way better than the palace brewery.”

Kun looked back at Minghao, who only shrugged in neutrality at the situation. Whether they went inside the teahouse or not, Minghao could feel the creative juices flowing in his mind from finally escaping the palace walls: the bustling city was filled with unknown stimuli that could induce some sort of creation, right? He looked at the Red Leaf again, eying the paper windows on the second floor and hearing the faint sounds of people inside. Leaving his brothers to bicker outside, he entered the building swiftly, looking around at the scenery within the red and black walls, his hands tucked together behind his back. 

The walls were mostly paper, doors every few panels leading off into private rooms where the private entertainment took place, though now much of the doors were open and revealed the seating areas within. There was a stage in the far center of the room, thin, mesh fabric artfully hanging from the ceiling to frame the corners and back of the stage. The room was dotted with several small, low-set tables, and a candle/flower arrangement sat in the center of every table. Most of the tables were empty, with a few towards the back and some in the middle of the room occupied by drunk men getting drunker by the minute. There was minimal artwork on the walls; instead, there were flowers galore spread around the room, most of them red but accents here and there to liven things up. After looking around, Minghao finally turned his attention to the stage. People were sitting towards the back, tuning their instruments carefully for an upcoming show. The place smelled… sweet, not just like flowers, but something more. 

There was commotion behind him, and Minghao turned in time to see Sicheng dragging a reluctant Kun inside by his elbow, dropping it once they were hidden from street view. Sicheng smiled at them both, his eyes bright with hope that their reactions would be positive. 

“So, what do you guys think?”

“I think you wore the right outfit.” Minghao gestured down at Sicheng’s clothes, the red and black hanfu with the royal emblem embroidered in black prominent on his chest. He adjusted the red ribbon across his forehead slightly and tossed his long hair back over his shoulder from where it had been disturbed earlier. 

Sicheng hit his arm playfully, his smile so bright and happy it lulled one onto Minghao’s face as well. “It’s a beautiful place, and I wasn’t joking when I said that their wine is the best. You guys want to try it?”

When Minghao nodded and Sicheng’s hopeful expression turned to the eldest, Kun only sighed before reluctantly nodding as well, not wanting to spoil the fun for his beloved younger brothers. 

At the acquiesce, Sicheng waved over a man on the far side of the room, a handsome yet kind smile on his face as he somewhat towered over the three of them. His robes were more practical than any of the three brothers’, yet still elegant and professional: a dusty, light blue hanfu and his hair cut shorter against his head with framing, a stark contrast to the sweeping black locks of the royal siblings. “Prince Sicheng, it’s been a few days since we last saw you. Our staff was just beginning to miss your bright presence.”

“It certainly has been a while, Yukhei, but I couldn’t keep away from your gorgeous teahouse.” Just like that, Sicheng’s presence matured, his smile dimming down from it’s exuberance to a more polite level of happiness. As much as Minghao and Kun teased their brother, Sicheng was a master at appearing professional in front of their subjects. Sicheng stepped to the front, as he was the one most familiar with the establishment, and gestured to his brothers behind him with a sweeping motion. “I brought some acquaintances today, I hope my favorite table can be prepared swiftly?”

Yukhei smiled and bowed his head slightly, “Of course, your highness, it will be prepared shortly.” He snapped his fingers and several women appeared seemingly out of nowhere with bottles of wine and plates of snacks. He stepped aside, head still bowed, and gestured in their direction. “If you please, my lord.”

Sicheng nodded and stepped forward, brushing past Yukhei with his head high. The two brothers followed, and only then did the manager lift his head and bring up the rear. The table in question was one at the right corner of the stage, with the best views of not only the performers, but also the musicians and 360 sightlines around the room. Sicheng sat first, and Minghao and Kun sat on either side of the table, Minghao and Sicheng gaining the best views of the stage, and causing Kun to turn slightly in his seat in order to see anything good. Several servers in flowing hanfu were setting up the table, placing bottles of wine in the center and laying out the cups in front of each royal for drinking. 

Grabbing the bottle closest to him, Minghao looked beneath the cap, the scent of plums filling his nostrils as he did so. Hesitantly, he poured some into his cup and took a sip, the sweet plum wine flowing down his throat and warming him instantly at the potency of the alcohol. He looked at the cup in his hand with a raised eyebrow, looking up and seeing Sicheng’s expectant face.

“Well? Isn’t it the best plum wine you’ve ever had?”

Reluctantly, Minghao nodded and set the cup down. “You were right, it’s way better than the wine at the castle.”

At his words, Kun raised an eyebrow and took a sip from Minghao’s glass as well, sighing contently as he set the cup down again. “It is really good.”

Sicheng smiled and Yukhei spoke from where he stood behind him, his head bowed again towards Kun’s position. “Thank you, sire. Compliments from the crown prince are above our humble worth.”

Just as Kun was about to reply, Sicheng playfully elbowed Yukhei’s shins, laughter in his voice as he spoke to him without looking up. “Okay, you can drop the act. I can’t handle you talking like that to my older brother.”

Kun raised an eyebrow and looked to Minghao, who again shrugged, but Yukhei kneeled to sit beside Sicheng, his smile warm and his head no longer bowed. “Your brother is the crown prince, Sicheng, I could lose my life for disrespecting him.”

“Yah, and what about me? I’m a prince too!”

“You don’t count.”

Minghao couldn't help the laughter that left his lips, ducking his head as he laughed at his brother. He had never heard anyone talk to him so teasingly outside of him and his brothers. When he looked back up, Yukhei was sitting much more comfortably beside Sicheng, and Kun was chuckling under his breath. 

“You are an asshole, you know that, don’t you?”

“An asshole who doesn’t charge you for all the wine you drink and chips you eat everytime you come here to spy on-”

“Ah -ah, that's enough about that.” Sicheng put his arm around Yukhei’s shoulders and pulled him closer, talking just soft enough so they won’t be overheard by anyone outside of their table. “So, is he performing tonight?”

Yukhei chuckled and nodded, “Right on time as always, my lord. Why even ask when you know the schedule by heart?” Sicheng released him as Yukhei pulled away, and he stood again, dusting his hanfu lightly, “the performance will start shortly; he’ll be playing for our lotus today.”

As Yukhei walked to another table, Sicheng turned back to his brothers, but was met with their knowing, teasing glances. His face flushed, but his smile widened. “He’s the guzhen player here. He’s a foreigner from the islands to the east, but his chinese is perfect.”

Minghao had known about his brother’s affliction for men ever since they were in their adolescence. Being only a year apart and of the same gender made them close as they’ve grown, and enabled Minghao to witness Sicheng’s first crush: a cute kitchen boy who had just begun working and was no older than the two of them at the time. Though neither could remember his name, Minghao could still remember Sicheng’s blush upon seeing him for the first time and the subsequent realization. Kun, being the first son, was kept separate from them as he was educated for his succession, and didn’t learn about Sicheng’s sexual preference until much later, having the unfortunate experience of walking in on Sicheng kissing one of the rejected male concubines the night after their mother had taken in a few. 

Now, Kun clapped his hand on Sicheng’s shoulder and smiled at him, “You are definitely something, Sicheng.”

Minghao leaned forward, elbows resting on the table and snickering towards his elder brother, “Does this guzhen player have a name?”

Sicheng shook his head, a shy smile on his lips, “I don’t know it. I haven’t spoken to him long enough to ask for it, and everyone here has a fake name anyway, so he would probably give me that.”

Before they could tease him anymore, the faint sound of the guzhen filled the room, and Sicheng’s eyes moved from them to the stage, his smile growing more joyful in mere milliseconds. Minghao turned to the stage once more, looking for the guzhen player Sicheng was so taken with, but his eyes found someone much more interesting.

In the center of the stage stood a tall man, his pink hanfu pulled tighter around his body in an almost immoral way, and the yi in front seemed to cut through his dress and reveal the tighter under layers beneath. He had a silver headpiece across his forehead that pulled out the silver embroidery on his hanfu, and his long hair cascaded down his back. The tighter cut hanfu showed off his proportions, and Minghao’s breath caught in his throat at the sash pulling in to accentuate his small waist. And that was before MInghao’s eyes reached his face.

It was smaller than he would've expected for someone so tall, but fit him so perfectly he wondered how he could’ve ever expected anything else. He sent a silent thank you to Sicheng for sitting so close to the stage, because he could see everything from his beautiful big eyes to his slightly pouty lips. He had a type of beauty Minghao couldn’t convey with his words, but he felt the attraction towards the male grow. Noticing the color of his robes, he guessed this was the “lotus” Yukhei had mentioned earlier. 

Minghao was so lost in his thoughts he was surprised when the creature made eye contact with him. He shook himself internally, as he didn’t want to scare him, but the creature smiled and ducked his head as he prepared to dance. He almost blushed, fearing he’d been caught, but Sicheng spoke from beside him. 

“The Lotus of Red Leaf seems to like you, Hao.”

Minghao looked again to the man on stage, watching as he’d begun to move his arms elegantly, the dance slowly beginning as the guzhen picked up its pace. He tried to see it from a different angle, but considering he’d never watched the Lotus dance before, he couldn’t tell if anything was different or the same. That, and he was a bit distracted watching him dance. 

Too soon, the guzhen faded out, and he watched dumbfounded as the movements stilled dramatically, arms outstretched and his face turned up towards the ceiling. Minghao heard applause from his tablemates, and he slowly began to clap as well. The Lotus bowed in their direction, since most of the other patrons were too drunk to pay attention to such a beautiful performance. 

“Wasn’t he just beautiful?”

“The dancer or your guzhen?”

“Of course, the guzhen player-”

Minghao tuned them out as he watched the dancer move off the stage, approaching Sicheng’s guzhen player and exchanging words with him. He watched his facial expressions as he spoke, his finger tracing the rim of his cup absentmindedly as he stared at the beauty before him. He almost wanted to freeze time so he could stare at him forever. 

Just as the thought flitted through his mind, the guzhen player pointed in his direction, and the dancer turned, their eyes meeting once more. Minghao didn’t turn away, and he didn’t change his curious expression, though his hand stopped its movement as he was caught. This seemed to make the beautiful dancer flustered nonetheless and Minghao watched him turn back to his friend, the same shy smile on his lips as before. He heard Sicheng and Kun still talking, neither of them aware of the interaction happening right now. An idea popped into his head. 

They looked back to him, and Minghao smiled softly at the cuteness of the scenario. Without thinking too much about it, he made a slight beckoning gesture with a hand hidden from Sicheng’s view. They seemed to be discussing, the dancer shaking his head and the guzhen player nodding vigorously. Minghao laughed as the dancer was pushed forward, almost being steered to the table by his friend. They stopped in front of Minghao, and he softly smiled up at them before they kneeled next to him, bowing their heads in respect.

He smiled softly at the dancer, his hair not completely black but a deep brown, almost forgetting to prompt them. He tried not to speak too domineeringly, it helped that his smile bled into his voice, “What’re your names?”

The guzhen player spoke first, lifting his head after the bow, the dancer following suit soon after, “My name is Yuta, your highness, and this is the Lotus of the Red Leaf, Jun.” Yuta pushed his friend forwards slightly, and Jun’s eyes darted to the side to look at his friend without turning his back on the prince. Minghao smiled again, fonder, and Yuta smiled slightly, his face downcast to hide his expression as best he could. “He is our best dancer at Red Leaf. I hope his performance was satisfactory for an artisan such as yourself.”

Minghao righted his back, his eyes still on the dancer- Jun- as he replied, “You don’t need to be so formal, Yuta; when I’ll be here, just treat me as your friend, alright?”

Both pairs of eyes before him raised in surprise, and Yuta spoke excitedly, forgetting to use proper pronunciation, “Does that mean you’ll be coming to the tea house again?” He clamped a hand over his mouth and bowed, Jun following suit, as if ashamed of his improper speech, “I’m sorry, sire, I got too excited.”

Minghao laughed and waved it off, both of the boys lifting their heads at the motion. “Don’t worry about it, really. Sicheng loves you either way, so you don’t need to apologize to me about anything.” He smiled, turning his gaze to the dancer and absentmindedly looking him up and down. When his eyes fell back on his face, Jun’s cheeks were dusted pink like his hanfu, and he couldn’t help smiling at his cuteness. “To answer your question, I’ll definitely be coming to the tea house again. The performance was too amazing to miss again. I’ll have to ask you what your schedule is, Jun.”

The name rolled off his tongue easily, and he was pleased to see the reaction he’d wanted: Jun flushed deeper and looked away, his shy smile back on and a hand raising to hide his face behind his long qi. Minghao ducked his head and looked back to his brothers, both of which were staring at him with the same teasing looks that were directed to Sicheng just minutes before. 

Sicheng nudged his brother slightly, cooing softly. “I see you’ve found your own cutie.”

He scoffed, elbowing Sicheng in return. “You don’t even know your cutie’s name; how do I know it before you?”

He snickered when Sicheng’s eyes widened, blubbering at his younger brother. Minghao could hear Jun and Yuta giggling beside him, and Sicheng looked between the three of them, a look of betrayal on his face.

“How did you get his name?!”

“I asked!”

Yuta beside him giggled again at the sibling debacle, hiding his mouth behind a dainty hand. He bowed his head slightly in Sicheng’s direction, voice shy and small as he speaks, “My name is Yuta, Prince Sicheng.”

Sicheng leaned forward, a look of surprise on his face as he stared at Yuta with wide eyes. “You… know my name?”

From beside him, Kun snorted as he took a sip of the plum wine. “You’re the third son of the emperor, Sicheng. Everyone knows your name.”

“Okay, you know what, Ge, it’s different-”

MInghao knew the ensuing bickering was due to his brother’s shyness, and he looked back to Yuta with a knowing glance. “You should go sit with him, he’s a little taken with you.” He watched Yuta and Jun exchange glances, and he shook his head, waving a hand dismissively and gesturing to the dancer as he spoke. “I’ll keep him company, you don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of him.”

Jun turned to look at Yuta, who just smiled as he touched his arm before standing and walking around the table to Sicheng’s side, who jumped away from him in surprise. As much as he wanted to watch his brother awkwardly fumble around his crush, Minghao had a much more important person to talk to.

He turned back to Jun, who was trying (unsuccessfully) not to stare. Minghao smiled at his evident uncomfortability. “Please, relax. You’re making me nervous.”

Jun smiled and looked down, his hand lifting and scratching behind his ear, “How can I relax when someone like you is sitting before me?”

“Someone like me?” MInghao raised an eyebrow at that. He’d assumed Jun’s nerves were from his title; could there be something more?

His question didn’t go unanswered for long, as Jun nodded shyly, smiling as he spoke, “It’s not very often a person gets to meet their idol.”

Minghao smiled at that, “Idol? What have I done to deserve such a title?”

“Everything.” Jun smiled and leaned forward on his knees, his excitement shining though his body was still rigid. “Your paintings are the best I’ve ever seen, and your songs and poems are the most beautiful strings of words I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.” He seemed to remember who he was talking to, and he leaned back on his heels, but his smile stayed on his lips and his eyes never left the prince. “The prince is too kind to compliment my dancing.”

Minghao smiled down at his lap and leaned forward to pour himself more wine when Jun reached for it instead, their fingers brushing slightly in the process. He looked up to Jun’s face, but the only sign he knew what had happened was a slight flush on his cheeks.

“Please, let me do this, sire.” Hesitantly, Minghao pulled his fingers away, the touch of Jun’s skin sending electricity up his spine. He watched Jun’s hands as he poured the wine, taken by their soft elegance. It was so interesting; his movements off stage reflected the grace he’d displayed performing, so much so that his eyes followed his hands even after he’d placed them back in his lap. He remembered where he was and looked back up to Jun’s face, taken again by his beauty. He was about to compliment him again when someone else joined their table, sitting next to Kun this time. Jun turned his attention to the newcomer, and though Minghao would’ve preferred to continue admiring his side profile, Jun’s expression caught his attention. He looked halfway between anxious and angry, his eyebrows furrowing and his teeth poking out to chew on his lower lip.

He turned his head and immediately raised an eyebrow. A beautiful girl in a flowing pink hanfu was sitting way too close to the crown prince to be deemed acceptable. Even Kun looked at her curiously, and he was usually a master at keeping his expression polite. 

Minghao leaned closer to Jun and spoke quietly in his ear, “Who is the one making a move on my brother?”

Jun jumped, clearly startled at how close Minghao had gotten, but he relaxed quickly, leaning in and whispering quietly so she wouldn’t hear, “Fei jie. She has worked here for a while, longer than me.”

Minghao turned his head slightly, looking into Jun’s eyes again, their noses inches apart due to their proximity. “Is she dangerous?”

Jun shook his head, a strand of his hair falling from behind his ear. Minghao instinctively reached up and tucked it back in place, Jun’s eyes following his hand and his cheeks growing redder as he did so. His eyes flitted again, as if he was debating on looking away again, but they focused on something behind him instead. “No, but she is.”

“My, aren’t you two close?”

Minghao ducked his head and pulled away from Jun, clearing his throat before taking a sip of his wine, looking at their newcomer. She was not much taller than Fei, but she was just as beautiful, her features sharper and giving her a more sexual appearance. She sat on the other side of Kun, and he stared at her too, an eyebrow raised, but she was looking at Jun. She smiled, but Minghao saw the malice in it. “What’re you doing on the floor, Juni? You aren’t a courtesan or a server…”

He looked beside him to Jun, but he was just fixing his hair. He didn’t seem interested in talking to her, and Minghao could see his hand trembling from some emotion, whether it be fear or anger. Instead, he looked to her and nodded in Jun’s direction. “I asked to speak with him after his performance.”

The girl smiled seductively towards him, and his skin crawled at her glance. “I’m sure my company is more pleasant. If you have any requests, I’m sure I’ll be better suited to the job than our little dancer boy.” 

Jun beside him bristled, but Minghao just smiled at her, “No, I don’t think so. I was going to ask him to be my new muse, and I don’t get inspired looking at you.”

If she was affected, she didn’t show it. She merely adjusted her position to face the crown prince more, her voice as light as ever, “That’s a shame, milord. I didn’t know you had run so dry of ideas you sought such a plain dancer.”

That was certainly new. Minghao had never met someone so brazen as to say these things to any royals face, let alone the prince. Sicheng spoke up beside him, his voice stiff and Yuta’s hand on his arm to hold him back from slapping her outright. “You know you could probably get executed for saying such things about the prince.”

She opened her mouth to say something more, but Minghao cut her off with a laugh. It wasn’t even sarcastic, it was a real laugh. “I like you, you’re really funny.” He leaned forward, his smile teasing and his eyes alight with humor. He nodded to Kun and Fei beside her as he spoke, “If you think you can seduce the crown prince by talking to his brother’s in this manner, you’re already losing the race.”

She looked undignified, but Minghao turned away from her before she could say anything more. He looked at Jun, who was smiling softly, and smiled in return, “Can you take me to a private room? I think I'd like to talk with you in a quieter place.” Jun nodded, his smile wide, as he stood, Minghao following suit. He looked down to his brothers, his smile slight, “When you want to leave, come find me.”

He turned and followed Jun to a private room in the back of the establishment, stepping in first and looking around at the somewhat spacious confines. When he turned to Jun, he was standing in front of the door, his feet shifting back and forth as if he didn’t know what to do with them, his eyes darting about the room, mostly looking at the floor but never looking to Minghao.

Minghao smiled at him, sitting down at the table within the room and gesturing to Jun, the dancer responding immediately and sitting beside him. Minghao chuckled at his cuteness, “Please, Jun, relax. I just want to talk.”

He watched Jun flush and look away, and he smiled at how adorable Jun looks when he’s flustered. He almost forgot to pay attention when he spoke, “I’m sorry, your highness, I just… I can't allow myself to forget you’re a prince.”

Minghao smiled sneakily and leaned in, Jun leaning back to keep distance, though he froze when he realized what he was doing. “What if I order you to forget?”

Jun’s eyes looked up to him, and he smiled shyly, “I don't want to forget my place, sire. I do not wish to offend you.”

This boy was really too cute. How was it possible for someone to be this cute? Minghao didn’t know, but he was thankful. He smiled and sat back, waving a hand. “Jun, I’m serious. I just want to talk to you like a person. You won’t deny me that, will you?”

Jun shook his head, pausing as he figured out what to say. He spoke hesitantly, his eyes somewhat skeptical, “So… I can drop the ceremony?”

“Please do,” Minghao laughed as Jun instantly relaxed, moving off his knees to sit slightly more comfortably against the table, his face leaning in to Minghao’s, eyes shining in youthful curiosity.

“So… did you mean what you told Xiao Yin? About me being your muse?”

His eyes widened slightly, but he smiled nonetheless. Out of every question Jun could’ve asked, he hadn’t expected that one. He leaned back, resting an elbow on the table and propping his knee up. “Yes, I did. I never say things I don’t mean.”

Jun smiled shyly at Minghao, turning his head slightly to his shoulder, “What if I say no?”

Minghao couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. Jun looked at him as if he was offended, but the smile in his eyes gave him away. Minghao spoke after his laughter had subsided, but he still smiled widely. “You’re more than welcome to say no. I just wanted to come watch you perform and talk with you like we are now.”

He hummed and looked off to the side, debating on his answer. “Why does the prince want a teahouse performer as his muse? Aren’t you worried about rumors?”

“Rumors about what?” Instead of answering, Jun played with his fingers, and Minghao knew what he meant immediately, berating himself for being slow. He put his hand atop Jun’s, causing Jun to look up and make eye contact with him again. 

“I know teahouse employees don’t have the best reputation, but I’m not afraid of the public, and I never have been. Besides, you aren’t a courtesan here, correct?”

Jun nodded softly, looking down again, “It doesn’t matter, people will still say things whether they are right or not. I don’t want the prince to get in trouble for coming here.”

“Has Sicheng gotten in trouble yet?”

“No, but-”

“No buts, Jun,” Minghao smiled softly, slightly tired from talking about the topic, “I don’t choose what gives me inspiration.” he sighed, looking down to the empty wine cups on the table, no wine near them to fill them, their purpose unfulfilled. “Xiao Yin was right, I have been dry of inspiration as of late. But watching you dance reminded me what it felt like to want to create something. So… I’d like your help.”

There was silence after that, and Minghao continued staring at the cup, unable to bring his eyes up to check on the dancer. It was like that for a few minutes, Jun thinking about his reply and Mingho too nervous to ask again. Eventually, Minghao felt Jun’s hand touch his arm lightly, his attention immediately drawn to his dainty touch. He looked up to see Jun’s soft glance, the corners of his mouth turned up and bringing a soft smile to Minghao’s lips as well. Jun’s voice was soft as he spoke.

“Who would turn down being the prince’s muse?”


	2. Chapter 2

Minghao came to the Red Leaf almost everyday after that, arriving before Jun’s first performance and not leaving until just before the social hours began. He wanted to stay until his night performance, but when he’d told Jun this, he asked that Minghao leave before the Teahouse hit its busy hours. He understood why: Jun was still scared that Minghao would face rumors and get in trouble for frequenting such an immoral place. Out of respect for Jun, Minghao obliged, though he himself was still unconcerned. He’d never cared what the public had to say, and he saw no reason to start now. 

Though he could never stay past 5 in the evening, he was able to get plenty of work done beforehand. After Jun’s stage, he spent all of his time exclusively with Minghao in a back room, hidden from the prying eyes of nosy customers. At first, Jun was shy and could barely handle Minghao’s eyes on him, but as the days progressed and their relationship grew, he was able to relax and grow comfortable with being the prince’s muse. Now, a week after meeting him, he didn’t shy away when Minghao repositioned his limbs or cloak, but smiled and nodded instead. Minghao was able to finish a piece almost every day, and watching Jun dance on stage fulfilled the dynamics he required for his poems, even if he sometimes got caught up staring at Jun’s beautiful face instead of working. 

But the environment… It was too stale. They’d been in the same room since the first day, and the comfortable surroundings had quickly grown suffocating, stifling his creative process and snubbing out his passionate flame. So, Minghao concocted a plan. 

Monday’s were Jun’s slow days, as he only had one performance late into the day that left most of his morning and afternoon free to do whatever he wished. Usually, he would help the servers in the main room, but it was slow for everyone, and it left not a lot of work to be done. It was on such a day that Minghao arrived a fair while earlier than he and Jun had agreed on, and he entered the Red Leaf with just a smile to Yukhei, whom he had become quite close to over the past several days. 

“Ah, your highness. I’m assuming you’re here to see our Lotus again?” 

Minghao chuckled before nodding, clasping his hands behind his back, “The Lotus of Red Lead has certainly captured my attention, but luckily, I have his as well.”

Yukhei laughed at his wit, smiling before gesturing with his hand, “if you’ll follow me, my lord, I’ll take you to the room-“

“No need,” Minghao lifted a calm hand to halt him, and he continued his words. “I’m here to invite your Lotus into the back garden instead. I have glimpsed the beautiful pagodas and ponds behind this building, and the weather this morning is too perfect to sit inside. I’m afraid I must place such a beautiful flower under the sky.”

The brothel manager raised an eyebrow, opening a book behind his counter to look at the records. Minghao could guess what he was doing, no doubt checking the reservations of the pagodas he mentioned and other outdoor areas available. From what he’d been able to gather, these rooms were more expensive to rent, but offered more privacy than the rooms downstairs. As shrouded as they were, even those areas were not as private at the courtesan rooms upstairs, but Minghao would not rent that room for their meetings for fear it would make Jun believe he possessed an ulterior motive. No matter how beautiful his Lotus was, he would touch not even a petal without his permission and consent. 

When Yukhei looked at him with his smile and held a hand out, Minghao followed with his staple small smile through the back door and into the beautiful garden he hadn’t yet stepped foot into. The beautiful white stone pathway branched and forked off in several directions leading to all the different areas, but the tall grass and large pink peonies lining the way never changed. As Yukhei led him down the winding path, he took the moment to really take in his surroundings. He would need to make sure to pay compliments to the gardener, because the flora of the garden was impeccable. Every flower was deliberately placed, from the chrysanthemum to the hibiscus, the jasmine to the orchids. Even as he trailed lazily behind the taller, he could not help but slow his pace as he passed a particularly lush bush of China Roses, a hand gingerly reaching out to cup the bloom in the palm of his hand, only to let go within the second his skin made contact with the petals as he had to continue forward.  
Before long, Minghao realized he’d been led to an area beside the notorious lotus pond of the teahouse. It wasn’t incredibly large; in fact, it looked like it was only just large enough to sustain the few lotus flowers that laid upon its surface. Nonetheless, it looked as beautiful in its tranquility as any roaring waterfall ever could. Where Minghao happened to stand was just on the edge of a small wooden structure slightly raised off the ground, just large enough for a few people to sit under comfortably. The simple pergola wasn’t lavishly decorated, for any expensive designs would be washed away and soiled with any rain, but the ivy that fell from the sides and the few pots of flowers inside were fitting with the garden theme. Some of the closed off pagodas further into the garden were for people unlike himself who wished to shut themselves off from nature, only to admire from afar. 

Minghao stepped up onto the platform and turned to look out over the Lotus pond, admiring the view for a few seconds as Yukhei began speaking, his head bowed slightly in respect, “I’ll send our Lotus out immediately, milord. Any requests for the refreshments for this meeting?”

“Just some Chamomile tea, if you please, Yukhei.” He looked down at the host, smiling softly to himself as he realized this would probably be the only way he could look down on such a tall man. “Tell him to take his time, I can entertain myself until he’s ready.”

Yukhei bowed and made to walk back, but the voice of the prince stopped him in his tracks. “You do know, of course, that you’re allowed to be comfortable with me. I think it’s pretty clear I’ll be visiting frequently, and I don’t want you under the impression you need to keep this face up in front of me.”

The taller turned back to him, and Minghao finally saw Yukhei relax even under the prince’s gaze. He watched him nod again, that smile still on his lips. “I hope his majesty isn’t angered at my actions. One must never be too careful. Prince Sicheng has been visiting our establishment for quite some time, and I have only just begun treating him as informally as I do, and never in front of others eyes. I do not wish to be executed for my words.”

“Please, don’t be afraid of something so trivial. Treat me as your friend; we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, and I would prefer a closer friendship.”

At that, Yukhei smiled and bowed again, “I’ll retrieve Jun, your highness. If you need anything else, do not hesitate to call for a server.” He gestured to a small bell on the table in the center of the pergola, and Minghao nodded before he scuttled off to fetch the Lotus. Minghao sat at the small table upon a simple rug that spread across the wooden paneling. Maybe it was because this area was dedicated to the lotus pond, but it seemed fitting that Yukhei had reserved this area for their meeting. It seemed this whole pergola was dedicated to its surroundings, as a small vase in the center of the table stuffed with as many lotus flowers as a vase that size could hold. Minghao looked at them in wonder, a hand reaching forward to pluck a beautiful pink tipped lotus from the vase as his eyes scrutinized the poor blossom. He wondered why anyone would pluck a flower already so near just so that it could die closer to human eyes. These flowers in particular were freshly picked, the softness of their petals like silk against his skin. Quickly, he pulled his notebook and pen out and began jotting down quick notes on the flower, not studying it itself, but his thoughts on the morality of picking it. He actually made it halfway through a sketch of the lotus before he heard someone approaching, his hand pausing with the tip of his pen just above the paper as he lifted his eyes to see who was approaching. 

Jun’s steps were light as he walked up to the pergola, so light Minghao wondered whether he was actually walking or rather floating. Noticing this, it was a mystery he’d heard him approach. The dancers here usually wore hanfu during their work hours, and Jun was no exception, but MInghao could not remember a time he’d seen a hanfu look so beautiful on anyone else. The fabric was a bright white, no doubt an expensive choice, but the under layers seemed to fade to a vibrant pink instead, giving the entire ensemble a deeper, richer color that seemed fitting for his name. 

Lotus.

Minghao hid the flower in his sleeve as Jun stepped up into the pergola, bending down to place the tray of tea on the table before sitting beside the prince. He bowed low, his forehead almost touching the floor, before raising up and smiling brightly at him. The hair framing his face had been put into two thin braids falling down the sides of his face, the rest pulled into a small ponytail atop his head to give his long hair more dimension. Minghao had to control himself from touching it, but the temptation to curl one of those soft strands around his finger was so strong he was barely able to contain the desire. He cleared his throat, pushing his book further away on the table in order to clear his head enough to make conversation. “You don’t need to bow when you see me here, Jun. We don’t need to act so properly when it’s just us two.”

The pink from his undergarments seemed to spread up to his cheeks, and Jun’s hands fiddled in his lap before lifting to fix his already perfect hair. His bright smile from before became much shyer, his eyes downcast and to the side as he pulled his hair over his shoulder and began running his fingers through the long locks. “The prince is too kind. I don’t deserve to regard the prince as anything more than such.”

“How can my muse be any less than a friend?” 

These words had the effect he’d hoped for; Jun’s cheeks flamed even deeper, and his pointer finger twirled a strand of his hair around and around. “Sire, I am already sitting beside you for hours everyday. If I become any more comfortable around you, people will think…”

Minghao smiled softly, admiring Jun’s beauty from where he sat across from him, their bodies so close, the fabric of their robes mixing together in a beautiful pile of white, pink, and red. “Let them think whatever they wish. I do not care what some have to say about the relationship between us.”

Jun’s eyes finally lifted, but he looked worriedly at Minghao, his teeth gently chewing on his bottom lip as he struggled to find the words. “Sire… I do not wish for this to cause any trouble for you. If at any point rumors begin to spread, or the emperor and empress get wind of this, it will be best for you to-“

His words got clogged in his throat as Minghao reached forward, his eyes widening slightly as he stared in awe at the handsome prince, now so incredibly close. Minghao gently tucked the stem of the lotus flower into the hair behind Jun’s ear. His hand lingered there before he caved into his previous desire, and instead of pulling away, he let his fingertips brush against the length of his hair. They eventually found some purchase and delicately thumbed a small fraction of the beautiful brown locks. Previously, he’d been watching his hand, but now his eyes lifted to Jun’s bewildered face, the blush dusting his cheeks so slight and natural, but beautiful all the same. 

There was some silence between them, their eyes staring into the others, before Minghao broke it, “I don’t ever want to see a face so sad on you again. You’re too beautiful to be tainted by such worries and sadness.”

Jun flushed again at the compliment, but his eyes seemed captivated by Minghao’s, disabling him from turning away. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words immediately, so his mouth remained slightly parted. For some unknown reason, it drove Minghao crazy. 

He smiled and fixed the strand of hair back from where he’d disturbed it, his fingertips gently touching the flower before they fell back into his lap. Only after it had done so could Jun finally seem to reboot, blinking and looking away shyly as he mentally berated himself. 

Appearances could not accurately describe how fast Jun’s heart was beating in his chest. The prince’s constant affections surely weren’t good for his health if he felt this way every time he got too near. Part of him feared that Minghao was being too nice just to keep him as his muse, that these compliments were all lies as he was being used. If that were the case, Jun would be hurt, of course, but Minghao is the 4th Prince of the Emperor; even if he wanted to, he cannot refute his requests. 

However, some small part of him wished that those phrases were true, that Minghao did truly think he was beautiful. On top of being his idol, Minghao was also, in Jun’s humble opinion, the most handsome of the four princes. Gaining the compliments of someone he considered to be the most attractive in the province… having his undivided attention for hours at a time in a small confined space… the part of him that had read, analyzed, and fantasized about the prince’s poems wished for something more. 

But he dared not think that way, not about the prince, a man whom he had no claim for. 

Besides, why would a prince want someone as low as a teahouse dancer? 

The truth was something Jun had to accept the very first day Minghao had asked him to be his muse, and he would not dare break that truth himself. 

As he slowly thought back into reality, he realized that MInghao had been staring at him the entire time he was thinking. He started and made to bow once more, though not as deep as when he’d first arrived. “My apologies, I spaced out during our conversation. How terribly rude of me-”

“No, no, it’s quite okay.” Minghao lifted a hand as he spoke, seemingly to ease Jun’s nerves. Sometimes, he cursed his title for making others so uncomfortable around him. It was as much an advantage as it was a detriment. “I should be apologizing, in case I made you uncomfortable at all.”

Jun lifted his head, looking at Minghao with uncertainty. His hand moved to brush his hair again, running his fingers through the long locks and being careful not to disturb the flower Minghao had nestled so beautifully in them. He knew this flower was a lotus (there were no other loose flowers in the area), and he knew Minghao loved his title here at The Red Leaf. It felt like he loved to accentuate and appreciate his beauty. Maybe that was part of the reason Minghao wanted him as his muse: to spread the beauty he saw. The only reason MInghao had given was he felt “inspired” when he looked at him. 

“Sire?”

Minghao looked up to the timid voice, surprised Jun was speaking so shyly after his apology but happy he was speaking nonetheless. “Jun, you can call me Minghao. I insist on it.”

“Then… Minghao,” Jun looked at him as he paused, his eyes burning with curiosity. His intense expressiveness was something Minghao loved to witness, and this time was no exception. It also helped that this was the first time Jun had called him normally. “May I ask… why you wanted me to be your muse?”

The prince was certainly surprised by the question, though he supposed he shouldn’t be. He berated himself for not making it clear immediately. To think, Jun had been his muse for seven days and had no idea why he was doing so. Minghao straightened his posture slightly, thumbing through his brain for a way to express his reasons in a straightforward, unconvoluted manner. Finally, his eyes settled on his notebook, still open to the half finished drawing of the lotus from before, and he flipped to a few pages prior, to a sketch he’d done of Jun on the third day and a short poem beside his form, and pushed the notebook in Jun’s direction. He’d never let Jun view his works in progress before now, just because of his own artist insecurity. One look at Jun’s face as he viewed the drawing told him this was the wrong move. 

He never knew someone could look so inspired by looking at something he’d made. Jun’s eyes were wide with wonder, and his beautiful soft smile on his lips caused something to grow in Minghao’s chest. He knew the poem was romantic, far more romantic than his words have been towards Jun thus far, but he was not embarrassed about them. As Jun’s eyes raked over the poem’s characters, Minghao watched as his face shifted from his previous admiration to a flustered expression, his cheeks growing as pink as his underobes. When he was finished, he slowly pushed the notebook back in the prince’s direction, the red in his face seemingly stuck permanently and his eyes downcast in his own shyness. 

Minghao smiled as he closed the notebook completely, his eyes on Jun’s bashful form, before he slowly reached out and took Jun’s soft hand in his own. He wasn’t entirely sure if this was the right move, but he wanted to do it, and wouldn’t deny himself that. He knew, based on what he knew of Jun and what he could see in his reactions, that Jun was not upset at his advances but rather overwhelmingly shy. Even now, Jun did not pull away. Instead, his hand relaxed within his grip, and those pretty eyes finally lifted to meet his own. Minghao dared not make any further of an advance even though he desperately wished to. He spoke, voice soft and melodic, as if keeping the moment private between them, “I haven’t yet found the words that describe why you inspire me the way you do. Nothing else in my life has had this effect on me and my art, no other person or object.” He let his eyes fall to Jun’s hand in his own when he finished the sentence, his thumb brushing across the back of his hand. To him, Jun wasn’t just a flower; he was one of crystal. Not simply as pleasing as one or the other, but more beautiful and fragile than both combined. It was an idea he would have to look back to. “All I know for certain... is that seeing you, talking with you, watching you dance, hearing you sing… everything you do, and every moment I spend with you, I only become more enamored.”

Now that was blatant flirtation. Jun felt his heartbeat hasten as the words spilled from Minghao’s lips, his eyes widening and lips parting ever so slightly as he stared at Minghao in surprise, their eyes locked together, neither able to pull away from the gaze. Slowly, Minghao lifted Jun’s knuckles to his lips, and, without breaking eye contact, he pressed his lips softly against them. Jun felt his body flush and burn under the intense gaze, and now he’d received a kiss from not just his idol, the prince. It was a surprise, but certainly not unwelcome. Minghao made to drop his hand, but before he could stop himself, Jun clasped the limb tightly with both of his hands, almost unwilling to part with the prince even slightly after the minimal contact. 

Before, Minghao had refused to make any inappropriate advances as to not scare Jun away or make him uncomfortable. However, now he could tell Jun wanted the same things he did, he just wasn’t as forward as himself. He could tell from the dancer’s slight trembling that this was putting a lot of stress upon his shoulders, and he knew from Jun’s personality that it probably took a lot for him to do even this small thing. Before Jun could lose his composure, or worse, his confidence, Minghao had to act fast. Slowly, he lifted his free hand to cup Jun’s cheek, an action he’d intended to be gentle and loving, though Jun still flinched slightly at his touch. Minghao was startled, but despite the initial involuntary reaction, Jun still leaned into his palm, his head tilting to the side as his doe eyes stared innocently up at him. 

He said before he loved Jun’s inherent expressiveness? 

It was going to be the death of him. 

The air was silent between them; even the outside world seemed to still for their moment. Both males breathed heavily, and though they were still an arms length apart, it was closer than Jun had ever been in this situation. Like most common folk, he retained his purity for marriage, though even if he hadn’t wanted to, it would’ve been impossible to find someone he even remotely desired. Minghao, on the other hand, though not as experienced as his brothers, had at times familiarized himself with some of the less favored male concubines of his mother. He did not know Jun’s age for certain, but he knew at the very least that he himself was older than the dancer, and thereby more experienced. 

Jun’s head was still resting against his palm, those eyes still staring at him, hiding a story behind their gaze. Jun’s breathing had evened out, and his body was finally relaxing as his eyelids fluttered absentmindedly at him. Minghao was sure Jun wasn’t trying to seduce him, but that's exactly what it felt like. Conscious not to make Jun more uncomfortable, Minghao took care to be slow in his movements. Slow, but not hesitant. He leaned in, only slightly shifting Jun’s head to further expose his cheek, before lightly pressing his lips against the soft cheekbone. The skin burned under his thin lips, no doubt from his embarrassment at the situation. Their close proximity lasted a mere second, and the kiss even shorter, but neither could have guessed how it could have affected their relationship in the future. 

As Minghao pulled away, they locked eyes again, and he mumbled softly, the soft words filling the space between them, “I’m sorry if I’ve violated you. I never intended for this relationship to evolve any further than that of an artist and his muse.”

He didn’t expect the dancer to actually respond, so when he made to pull his hand away from Jun’s cheek, he was startled when he felt a hesitant touch on the back of his palm. As soon as he felt Jun’s fingertips graze his skin, he replaced his hand where it had been prior, cupping Jun’s soft cheek, and he stared with wide eyes as Jun practically melted into his palm once he felt it once more. He was so dumbstruck, he almost forgot to listen to Jun’s melodic voice when he spoke, “You haven’t violated me, Your Highness, please do not be concerned about such things.” Jun paused, his bottom lip sucked between his teeth as a small smile grew on those lips. “Besides, sire… I couldn’t say no to you even if I wanted to.”

Minghao felt a smile rise on his lips at the words, adjusting his hand against Jun’s cheek to teasingly pull his head closer, watching as Jun’s eyes widened at their closeness. “Does this mean you like me wooing you?”

Only then did the situation seem to catch up to Jun as he realized how close they were now and how intimate the atmosphere between them had become. He hurriedly pulled away from Minghao’s affections, heat rushing to his cheeks and causing him to raise a hand to hide his face behind his flowing qi. Minghao laughed lightly at the cute reaction, and it brought an embarrassed smile to Jun’s lips as well. 

Because Minghao had come so much earlier, they spent several hours together under the pergola with the view of the lotus pond, drinking tea and chatting about this and that. He still had to leave before 5 in the afternoon, but this time, before Jun escorted him back inside the tea house, Minghao took Jun’s hand in his own once more, effectively pausing Jun’s movements to leave. The dancer looked down at Minghao’s hand, watching with red cheeks as Minghao gently maneuvers his hand to interlock their fingers, hidden from the world by their bodies and sleeves. Minghao tucked the analogy away for future reference as well. Jun’s eyes stared at him in their beautiful expression, as innocent as a doe and as romantic as a fae. Slowly, Minghao plucked the flower from Jun’s hair where it had resided all day. Now, several hours later, it was pretty from a distance, but as close as they both were to the delicate blossom, they could see the wrinkles of death slowly forming along its petals, the very faintest loss of color along the tips. Tomorrow, the blossom would have turned brown. 

Minghao bit his lip as he looked over the flower, his words somewhat distant but still carrying the resonance and thought Jun loved to listen to, “It’s truly a pity that these Lotus blooms will wither even before night falls.” His eyes looked up from the flower as his hand tossed it outside the bindings of the pergola, his hand lifting Jun’s as he held his hand like porcelain in his grip. “I hope my lotus doesn’t lose his vibrance so quickly.”

The words caused Jun’s heart to skip in his chest, but he couldn’t help the fire that swelled inside. His timid voice was nowhere near as confident as the prince’s, but the vulnerability in it tested Minghao’s resolve, “Would… the prince cast me aside just the same if I did?”

Quickly, Minghao gripped Jun’s free hand in his own, holding Jun’s hands close to his chest and stepping closer to him as well. He looked at the dancer seriously, holding his hands firm in his grip, and his voice was strong. “Never.” His left hand lifted to cup Jun’s cheek, still holding Jun’s in his grasp. It was as if after coming into contact once, he could not bear to break it at all. “Because you are more than a mere flower to me.”

Jun supposed he opened the door for that trap, so he shouldn’t have been surprised at the flustering response. Somehow, he was still taken off guard, but he smiled shyly at the prince instead of pulling away. Minghao saw this as growth, and it was, so he gently caressed Jun’s cheek before letting his hand finally fall. For some reason, pride grew in his chest every time he gazed upon his lotus, and this time was even greater. 

After a few seconds, Jun delicately pulled his hands away from Minghao’s grasp, his ears pink at the overabundance of attention the prince bestowed upon himself. They needn’t say anything as Jun escorted him out of the Red Leaf, keeping inside the brothel as he waved the prince off on his horse and his eyes never leaving the prince’s back until he was out of view.

Only after he had vanished could Jun deflate as he wished to, slumping against the wall with a dazed smile on his face. He pressed a hand to his chest, fingers twisting into the fabric of his hanfu right over his furiously beating heart. The social hour was just beginning, and he had a performance scheduled later in the evening he should probably begin preparing for, but he was unsure if his heart would calm enough for him to do so. Customers had not yet flooded their doors, so he had no problem practically running to the stage to catch Yuta after his set, pulling the musician into a room behind the stage where the performers get ready. 

Yuta looked at him in surprise but smiled after seeing the one on Jun’s face, his hands excitedly grabbing at Jun’s. “Jun Ge, how was the prince?” 

Jun had a special friendship with the guzhen player, but it wasn’t just because they were close in age. Jun was the first person Yuta had confided in about his small crush on the third prince, so when Jun caught the eye of the fourth prince, he had to go to Yuta first as well. Now, they were the only ones in the house currently they could trust on this matter, as the courtesans of the house could be feral, especially if it was leaked that the feelings shared between the two couples were genuine. 

Even now, Yuta was the first and only person Jun would tell inside these walls. 

Jun was so excited he could barely speak, one hand gesturing to his hair and smiling widely as he babbled senselessly, “He touched my hair and he put a lotus in it and he said I was more than a flower and he said he was-” 

Laughing, Yuta put his hands on Jun’s shoulders, smiling until his eyes crinkled at his friend. “GeGe, you need to speak slowly, I can’t understand your chinese.”

Jun breathed deeply for a few times until his heart had settled a little more. It was possible he had been too excited from the Prince’s gestures. Slowly, he explained every romantic gesture that had happened between himself and the prince, the touches on his hand to the palm against his cheek, the flower in his hair to the kiss on his cheekbone. Yuta squealed along with him when he ended it on their last exchange in the pergola, his cheeks heating up as he retold the tale. Yuta pretended to swoon against the wall, a hand on his forehead as he sighed, “Your story is just like a romantic scripture they don’t let you read in geisha school. Why isn’t my prince as much of a flirt as yours? You really lucked out, Ge; a writer as your lover makes for a lot of romance.”

The dancer pressed his clammy hands to his warm cheeks in an attempt to hide the blush, his smile now dimmed to a shy, embarrassed expression. “He called me his Lotus. He told me he was enamored with me. He kissed my cheek, Di, he really kissed me…”

Yuta squealed again, and hugged Jun tightly. They swayed back and forth in their excitement before the door suddenly burst open and they scrambled apart, heads down and hands clasped in front of them. 

“What are you two doing back here, making so much noise.” Xiao Yin looked down her nose at the two, though she was much shorter than them both. “Get a grip, you two, or get out.” She slammed the door as she swept out, her flowing yellow hanfu billowing behind her. They both waited a few seconds before exhaling softly, immediately relaxing and leaning against the objects closest to then, Yuta against the wall and Jun on a nearby chest. 

Though they were both performers, the true stars of the Red Leaf were the courtesans that entertained the clients privately. Yes, Jun also somewhat fell into that category, but his body was not for sale like the courtesans, and Yuta only played on stage when he or another courtesan was performing. They were mere workers of the house, and the courtesans reigned supreme in every sense of the word. 

Despite that however, only Xiao Yin and Fei Fei looked down on the other workers of the Red Leaf. Every other courtesan was kind and looked out for the workers, and Yukhei and the owners treated everyone with its walls with kindness and love. 

Speaking of this, the door opened again and the kind face of a man almost ten years older than the two shone at them from atop his blue hanfu. Luhan looked at the two before closing the door behind him, a curious expression on his face. “What did you two do? You look white as a camilla.” His eyes raked over the two, settling on Jun’s still slightly flushed face, before speaking with a teasing tone, “and you look like the peonies in the garden.”

Jun whined and stomped his foot childishly, earning laughter from the other two, before crossing his arms across his chest and pouting. “Yin-jia came and shouted at us before you came in for being too loud. I was just telling Yuta about Prince Minghao’s visit.”

Luhan was one of the directors of The Red Leaf along with his sister, Cao Lu, but Jun could count on one hand how many times he’d seen Cao Lu in the main room at any time of day. Despite this fact, most people assumed Yukhei was the head as he was the one most people remember being host. He never gave truth to these rumors, but he never denied them, and that was exactly what gave them protection: no outsiders knew who was truly in charge. 

In fact, Luhan was ecstatic to know one of the other princes would be visiting the establishment, and he didn’t even care that it wouldn’t be to see one of the courtesans. He offered Jun an upgrade to such a position but respected his decision when he declined and chose to stay as a dancer. 

He wouldn’t, however, approve of the feelings growing between the two. Courtesans were discouraged from growing genuine feelings for their clients, though the directors knew realistically it was nearly impossible to prevent such. Most courtesans had a favorite client, but some like Xiao Yin and Fei Fei did not, and they were considered the example. 

Probably because they were more popular. 

Luhan clapped his hands excitedly. “Good, keep the princes coming.” He pointed to Yuta, who looked taken aback at the sudden attention. “Your prince needs to grow some balls and actually start reserving your time instead of coming here to sit pretty and stare at your face.”

Yuta blushed at the comment, but he just hugged his arms close to his chest. “Trust me, I wish he would grow a pair too.”

The other two laughed in response, and Yuta giggled shyly. Despite Xiao Yin’s bitter attitude, the courtesans, musicians, dancers, and staff were like family, and they treated each other as such. Most of them didn’t have anyone else, so their companions at the brothel were their everything. Jun himself was an orphan, having lost his mother in a carriage accident at the age of 6. Everyone knew not to ask about his father; even he didn’t know where the man went, and he possessed no memory of him, either. 

Luhan dismissed them, telling them they need be ready for their performances tonight, and the two climbed the back stairs to the third story. The Red Leaf was a four story building, which consisted of two floors for entertainment and two for living arrangements. The bottom floor had the stage and side entertainment rooms, as well as the garden out back, while the second floor was made of only larger, more private rooms for special entertainment. This is where the courtesans entertained and accompanied people, but it was no secret what was contained inside some of those rooms. Above those were the courtesan’s quarters. Usually, courtesans shared rooms, with 2 or 3 sleeping in the same room, but it was nothing compared to the musicians and dancers rooms they shared walls with. The rooms were bigger, but there were only two, and despite having less musicians and dancers than courtesans, the second room was used as a closet, storing all the hanfu, shenyi, kimono, and hanboks for everyone in the building during and in between seasons. This resulted in the 4 musicians and 2 dancers sharing one room. It wasn’t spacious, but it wasn’t cramped. No one had any complaints, and if numbers grew, space could always be made. 

Unfortunately for Jun, he used one of his prettiest Hanfu for the prince today, so as much as he would like to keep the garments on, he would have to change into a different ensemble for his performance. Yuta had a bit of an easier job in that regard, as musicians all wore similar outfits on stage for professional appeal. They weren’t allowed to stand out more than the people they were playing for, so simple, plain colored shenyi occupied most of the options. As they climbed the steps to the third floor, they discussed what performance they would give today. After receiving the prince’s encouragement, Jun felt compelled to do a more extravagant performance, but Yuta believed a subtle piece was more appropriate. 

Really, Jun just wanted to stay dressed up for the day, so though he conceded with doing a smaller performance, he still flocked to the nicer hanfu as soon as they breached the doorway of the closet. All outfits were kept carefully folded in small wooden chests to protect from the elements, but it made things annoying when searching for which to wear. Luckily, Jun had committed all of the dancing hanfu to memory with their box’s wooden engravings. He reached for a box towards the back containing an orange performance hanfu fitting the weather perfectly. As he brushed his fingers over the delicate fabric, visions of the prince from earlier filled his mind, and his cheeks grew pink once more. His cheek burned where the prince had kissed it, and he pressed his hand against the area as if to hide it from the world. He couldn’t wait for the prince to visit again, and though he shoved the desires deep within himself, part of him hoped for a little more to be kissed than his cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

A Few Days Prior...

Their kingdom had tried so hard to stay neutral in this war, but something always happens to disrupt their plans. Being one of the more powerful kingdoms in their neck of China, having access to the East Sea and strong ties to the Flowery Islands across the sea, It was better if they avoided entering conflicts between kingdoms they had no affiliation with, but sometimes the situation could not be avoided, especially if it threatened their own safety. It wasn’t ideal, but when a conflict between two western kingdoms encroached on their borders, the emperor had no choice but to dispatch his military to settle the situation. 

Little did he know what kind of situation this would bring.

When Wu Yifan, 2nd royal son of the emperor and head of the imperial guard, broke into what appeared to be an abandoned farmhouse looking for any deserters of the enemy army, the last thing he expected to find was a hostage. 

And the last thing he expected the hostage to be was cute.

Yifan stood just inside the farmhouse doors, trained ears immediately picking up the sound of muffled, frightened gasps in the farthest corner of the space. Quickly, he signaled to his subordinates to stay still, and he slowly began walking to the back of the building, steps light on the dirt floor. The frightened breathing grew worse as he got closer, and in the back of his mind, he wondered what person would be so scared and still not run? 

He turned the corner of a stack of hay bales, and the person in question came into view. Huddled and bound on the dirt floor, the form of a skinny boy with choppy, raven black hair cowered as he came into view, his breath hastening and muscles tensing. 

Yifan was taken aback. He turned to his second in command and told him to leave and handle business outside, only turning back to the boy once they were truly alone. He crouched down on the dirt floor, and the boy finally looked up at him, eyes wide in fear behind his long bangs. Now, on the same level as him, Yifan saw the boy was gagged with a dirty cloth, his exposed porcelain skin littered with discoloration of all types. 

“I won’t hurt you. You don’t need to be afraid,” Yifan spoke in a low voice, his hands showing their palms. The boy’s eyes darted between the hands and Yifan’s face, and ever so slightly, his shoulders lost their tension. The general reached behind the boy’s head and undid the weak knot, pulling the cloth away from the boy’s mouth and revealing the unsightly signs of its abuse. Red lines stretched from the corners of his lips to the centers of his cheeks, rough and raw and in desperate need of medical attention. 

“Can you speak?”

The boy squirmed in his binds, dry lips parting to release a soft, hoarse voice, “Please help me, sir. You seem like a kind person. Please save me.”

Yifan had to raise an eyebrow at that. “Kind” wasn’t something people usually used to describe him; even his brothers described him as the coolest among all their siblings. He cleared his throat and pulled a knife out of his belt, gesturing with the tip towards the bound boy. “Look, I’d gladly let you go, but these people had you tied up for a reason. Who are you? Why does this army have you imprisoned?”

The boy stared at him with a blank look in his eyes, irises clouded in deep thought. His lips parted slightly, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean I don’t know. All I remember is waking up one day and suffering ever since.”

Yifan raised an eyebrow, reaching out with his free hand to observe the boy’s wounds. Besides the obvious marks on his face, he also had several bits of damages visible above the collar of his robes. Bruises around his neck from what had to be some type of strangulation, dried blood trailing down the side of his neck, as well as several straight scars where it looked like a knife had been held far too close. Yifan peaked down to the boy’s bound feet, noticing the deep scars from the bindings tied too tightly around his ankles. His plain, white clothes were stained so deeply with dirt from the floor that it likely would never come out. Without wanting to offend him too much, Yifan turned the boy around ever so slightly to look at his back, noticing the blood that had soaked through the fabric, straight tears torn from whippings and lashes. 

So he was tortured. But why?

Without saying anything else, Yifan took the knife and began to cut the binds around the boy’s hands and knees, talking as he did so, “Do you happen to remember a name? The people who did this to you, what do they call you?”

There was a small silence between them as the boy thought and YIfan was busy cutting the tight bandages. As the knife broke through the thick fabric of his ankle constraints, the boy looked at him, “I think they called me Zitao once, after they realized I didn’t know who I was.”

Yifan nodded to the boy. He was taken hostage for some reason, but not knowing who he was or where he came from was going to make bringing him home difficult. He sighed, his hands reaching to his shoulders and pulling his cloak off, resting it around Zitao’s shoulders to cover him. “As soon as I’ve settled the conflict here, you can accompany me back to my country and rest there while you recover your memories.” He paused as he looked down at Zitao’s skinny form. He looked weak, and, depending how long he’d been held hostage, he might need to have some serious recovery time. He placed a hand on Zitao’s forearm, and the boy’s doe eyes met his own. “Can you stand?”

A shy, embarrassed smile stretched across his lips, his eyes welling with tears at the thought of freedom, “I’m sorry, I can’t feel my legs.”

For some reason, that look made Yifan’s heart do somersaults in his chest. Even with the bruises and scars, the boy had this innocent charm that drew Yifan in. He was dangerously skinny, and as Yifan pulled Zitao into his arms, his movements were gentle so as to not accidentally break him. Hooking his arms under the Zitao’s knees and back, he hoisted him up and carried him to his horse, setting him on the back before jumping up behind ZItao. Maybe it was the sunlight, or maybe it was the fresh air, but Zitao immediately deflated against Yifan’s chest, eyes closed elegantly as he rested against the general. 

His second in command, his cousin Yibo, strided up to his side on his own horse, staring curiously at the sickly boy. “What happened to him?”

Yifan looked down as he grabbed the reins of his horse, Zitao’s delicate body fitting between his arms with room to spare. It was concerning. “Probably kidnapped and tortured. It looks like he was held hostage, but he lost his memory.” Yifan looked to the sky before looking at the boy again, watching his pale skin almost reflecting the sunlight. “Looks like he’s been inside a while. He needs medical attention for his wounds immediately.”

Yibo pulled in closer, looking at the boy carefully. “They cut his hair.. If he was noble, they would’ve done it to humiliate him, to make a statement. It probably annoyed them when he lost his memory too.” 

Yifan nodded absentmindedly, finally tearing his eyes away from Zitao to look at Yibo seriously. “Send a messenger to my father. Tell him that the situation is secure, and I’ll be back at the palace before the week is up. And,” Yifan’s eyes fell to Zitao’s weak form, his pale face upturned as his head rested against his chest armor, “Tell him the situation with him. I’m taking this one to the medical tent.” 

He didn’t wait for Yibo to acknowledge him before rousing his horse, turning around and riding back toward their base. Zitao didn’t stir the entire ride, and Yifan worried for the boy. It was around that time when the worry settled deep into his heart, etched carefully into the crevices, that Yifan realized he wanted to protect the boy forever.


	4. Chapter 4

The prince sent word the next day that he would be unable to return for several days for reasons he didn’t specify. As soon as Jun received the letter, worry began to grow in his heart that their actions in the pergola had something to do with it. Was he regretting his words? Was he ashamed of himself? Was he just trying to string him along with his sweet talk and praise because he knew Jun idolized him? Jun almost went crazy with the insistent thoughts.   
That Friday, he and Yuta were helping the staff of the house when a commotion sounded at the door of the brothel. Junhui looked up to the entrance as Yukhei brushed past. 

“Yukhei, what’s the commotion?”

The man in question paused before smiling at Junhui over his shoulder. “Xiao Zhan has returned.”

Junhui gasped and scrambled to his feet, Yuta laughing behind him as he tripped over the hems of his robe. He ran forward past the entrance in time to see Xiao Zhan step out of a carriage, and the other man smiled when Junhui came into his view. 

“Jun-ah! Miss me?”

“Of course you dumbass!” Jun threw his arms around Xiao Zhan’s neck, hugging him tightly. Xiao Zhan was the only other singer and dancer at the brothel, and he’d been accompanying one of the military generals for the past several weeks, leaving the bulk of entertainment on Jun’s shoulders. It was fine, though; these types of trips weren’t uncommon for The Red Leaf or any of the other brothels in town. If you could afford it, there was nothing wrong with taking entertainment along with you for a vacation. 

Xiao Zhan pulled away first, laughing obnoxiously and smirking playfully at the dancer. “Come on, help me carry my bags upstairs. Tell me what I missed.”

At the words, the prince immediately filled his mind, and a pink blush spread across Junhui’s cheeks that Zhan immediately picked up. He elbowed Jun in the ribs, the corner of his lip quirked up. “Oh, did we get a visitor? Who has our Juni all shy?”

Jun was embarrassed, but he couldn’t deny the teasing. Grabbing one of the cases, he smiled down as he spoke, “you know I’m not a courtesan, so it isn’t like that yet.”

The two made their way inside, servants and workers smiling and welcoming Xiao Zhan back home. Junhui had to stop his words lest any of his feelings be heard by someone, specifically Xiao Yin or Fei Fei jia. The last thing he wanted were his true feelings exposed. Knowing them, they would probably go to Luhan or Cao Lu just to get him in trouble.

So instead, he just helped Xiao Zhan carry his stuff up the many stairs to the room they shared with the musicians. Only when they were alone did Zhan prompt him to continue, his eyebrow quirking up playfully as he opened his crate. “‘Yet?’ That means you’re somewhere along then? Come on, Juni~ who has you all shy?”

With blush on his cheeks, Jun kneeled on the floor to unpack the crate he carried. As he spoke, he somewhat hoped the words would not carry to his best friend’s ears, “Well, you know the third prince has been visiting us and seemed to be infatuated with Yuta?”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Xiao Zhan nod before looking towards him. “Why? Did he end up liking you?”

Jun shook his head quickly, his hands slightly shaking as he began pulling clothes from the trunk, “Oh no, he’s still very whipped for Yuta. But about a week ago… he brought his brothers in, and one of them… well, one of them says I caught his eye.”

Some silence, and then he felt a body plop on the wood floor beside him. Surprised, he looked up to the curiosity on Zhan’s face. “Don’t tell me you’re sleeping with the crown prince, Juni; you know he’s engaged.”

Before Jun could stop himself, a vision of him and the crown prince filled his head, and he shook with disgust. “Never, never, never, never could I sleep with the crown prince. He is nothing compared to Minghao-”

He clamped a hand over his mouth, but the name was already out, and Xiao Zhan was already laughing on the floor. Embarrassed and flushed, Jun indignantly closed the trunk lid forcefully. “How can you laugh at me when you’re actually sleeping with his cousin?!”

It just made him laugh harder, but as Jun listened closer, he heard no malice in it, just pure joy. He chuckled at himself, hiding his face in his hands before bursting out laughing as well, leaning over the trunk for support. 

The laughter dwindled slowly, leaving them breathless and lightheaded. The luggage remained half put away, but neither of them could care less. Xiao Zhan smiled widely, eyes cast upward toward the ceiling. “I’ve only been gone a month and you’re already sleeping with the 4th prince. Our Juni moves fast.”

“I am not sleeping with him!” The words were true, but the blush on his cheeks liquified the factual statement in Zhan’s mind. Hiding his face behind the sleeves of his shanyu, Junhui exhaled to try and control his heartbeat, racing not only from the previous laughing, but also from the thought of Minghao. “Minghao has taken me as his muse to help with his art endeavors, that is all!”

“But~?”

Even behind his qi, Jun could tell Xiao Zhan was smiling, and he knew he couldn’t hold anything back. Not from his best friend.

“But,” Junhui paused, biting his bottom lip before burying his face in his hands. It muffled his voice, but he secretly hoped Zhan wouldn’t hear, “he kissed me.”

He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a low wolf whistle from his best friend’s mouth. “I always knew the Fourth Prince was a bold one. Even Yibo wasn’t that straight forward.”

Junhui peaked out above the top of his sleeves, staring curiously at Xiao Zhan. “I mean… you approached Yibo when he first came; Minghao was the one who asked to speak to me on his first visit.”

Zhan nodded, rolling on his side to look at Junhui, “How long has he been coming? A week? Two?”

“His first visit was about a week and a half ago, and he came every day the first week. Recently he sent word that,” Jun’s eyes widened as he cut himself off, dropping his hands to flatten his palms against the chest lid, startling Xiao Zhan, “that’s probably why he said he couldn’t make it these past few days! Because the military is returning from the west!”

He watched Zhan nod. “General Prince Yifan was able to take care of the uprisings quickly due to his strong leadership. He also found an abandoned hostage in the wastelands that he’s taken a liking to, so I’m sure they’re going to have to sort something out with that.”

Junhui raised an eyebrow, leaning forward over the chest ever so slightly, “General Yifan took a liking to a hostage? What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Xiao Zhan paused and wiggled his eyebrows at his friend, and Junhui gulped as he continued, “those two were attached at the hip from the moment Yifan found him. Poor boy couldn’t even sleep without the general in the same bed. Best part is: Yibo and Yifan wouldn’t let me know anything. I was just there for entertainment, anyway, but Yibo not telling me? That means it’s something big.”

Junhui looked slowly at his hands with his lips downturned in a frown, absentmindedly examining each long finger as he mulled over his thoughts. It had been a few days since Minghao had last visited, and with every passing hour, Jun’s longing for the other only seemed to grow. Maybe he had been spoiled from seeing the prince everyday for that whole week, but now no word for so long? Not even an update? He understood that the arrival of his brother and a hostage was news and the palace would be busy for a while, but he so wished for an update from Minghao, something, anything.

A knock sounded at the door after a few minutes, and Yuta stepped across the threshold with a small bundle in his hands. Xiao Zhan sat up. “My backlogged fan mail? Yukhei said he’d send it up-”

“No, this is for Juni. Just arrived.”

Junhui raised an eyebrow as he turned to face Yuta, who took a seat on the other side of the chest, placing the bundle on top of the closed lid. He gingerly touched the fabric, surprised by the rich feel under his fingertips. “Who would send me something like this?”

After only a moment of puzzlement, the idea clicked for all of them simultaneously, and before anyone could prompt him, Jun pulled the bundle into his lap and immediately began untying it. Careful to not rip the fabric, he revealed a wooden box with a large, folded piece of paper atop the lid. 

He hesitated, looking half nervously at Xiao Zhan who prompted him forward with a wide smile. Yuta did the same, and in an attempt to calm his nerves, Junhui let out a low breath as he picked up the letter. With trembling hands, he unfolded the thin paper, and silently began to read Minghao’s familiar, elegant scrawl. 

Dearest Junhui,  
I sincerely apologize for not contacting you again since my previous letter. The palace has been hectic as of late due to the untimely arrival of my older brother and the rest of his army. The empress, my mother, has not allowed any of the princes out as preparations for the feast scheduled tonight are occuring. I am unsure if I’ll be able to visit after the festivities are complete tonight, but rest assured, my lotus, I will be at The Red Leaf as soon as I am able.   
These days without your presence have been a nightmare. I hadn’t yet realized how much I looked forward to our visits until they were forcefully ripped from my schedule. Even your delicate scent is something I’ve found myself chasing. I have been able to keep myself busy writing and painting, but I am almost embarrassed to admit they’ve almost all been less than presentable for the public. I have disclosed a poem in this chest, but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to keep it secret from even your friends. The words I wrote, I feel you may be ashamed of me.  
My Lotus, you know as well as I that I am a brazen person, but perhaps you don’t know that when it comes to you, I am quite shy. But, here on this paper, I can admit this one thing I don’t think I could ever say with my own mouth:  
I have missed you so much, My Lotus, that the next time I see you, I’m sure your cheek and hand will not be the only thing I kiss. 

By the end of the letter, Junhui’s cheeks burned bright pink. He could feel the two others in the room giggling at him, but just as Xiao Zhan leaned around to try and peak at the letter’s contents, he pressed it flat against his chest and shook his head. Xiao Zhan laughed loudly at him.

“See that, Yuta? He won’t even let me read it; it must be dirty.”

“Shut- Shut up!” 

He couldn’t help stuttering, not with those words increasing his heartbeat. Before he could think anymore, he quickly folded the letter and placed it on the floor beside him, out of either of his friends’ reach. “Let’s just… move on from that, shall we?” His trembling hands reached for the box, but Zhan grabbed it before he could. 

“Hey, Zhan-”

“Whoa, check it out.”

The breath was sucked out of all of their lungs when their eyes laid upon the item in Xiao Zhan’s hand. Long, slender, and silver, a delicate hairpin lay across his palm, coming to a slight, dull point at one end. At the other, an elegant, glasswork Lotus flower shone brightly, light refracting through its thin, semi-pink petals. Two thin, green strings of glass wrapped upwards of the hairpin, stretching out at the end into two delicate leaves each. Thin silver wire twisted together in the center of the petals like stamens. On the end of each lay a tiny diamond, and the entire piece glittered like crystal. 

Jun gingerly reached for the pin and held it lightly in his hand, fearing if he held it too tightly, it would shatter in his grip. He was shocked silent at the sheer extravagance of the gift.

“It’s beautiful, Juni.”

“This is handmade, personally designed for you. Minghao must really love you.”

He couldn’t tell who’d said which, but he found himself numbly nodding to the statements anyway. The pad of his thumb rubbed against the silver pin, too scared to touch the glass work itself. Quietly, Yuta stepped around his body and began to mess with his hair, twisting his top ponytail into a bun atop his head. Knowing what the purpose was, Jun held up the pin for his friend to take, securing the thick, improper bun with the ornate pin. Without any prompting, Xiao Zhan fetched Jun’s handheld mirror from under his pillow where it was always kept and handed it to him as Yuta stepped away. 

When Jun looked at himself in the mirror, the last puff of air in his lungs escaped him, and he was left staring somewhat numbly at himself. The light from the window glittered through the glass and diamonds like heaven’s light, causing the colors to dance along the wall behind him. The concentration of light brought out the brighter flecks of brown and gold in his eyes, and his entire body warmed at the thought that Minghao had specifically designed this for him. He was so detail oriented; of course he would plan something to accentuate his beauty.

After a few more seconds of staring at himself, Jun pulled the hairpin out of his hair, the ponytail immediately unraveling and falling down his back once more. 

“Something wrong? Don’t you want to show it off to the courtesans?”

“Yeah, Xiao Yin would turn jade green if she saw that thing. Don’t you want to rub your relationship with the prince in her face?”

Junhui pulled the small crate back into his lap, replacing the hairpin inside and grabbing the poem Minghao’d said he’d included, He shook his head softly, staring down at the poem without reading it. “Knowing her, she’ll probably rip it out of my hair and take it for herself.” The letter was already making his heart race, and he couldn’t focus on the poem in front of him, so he sighed and placed it back in the crate before closing the lid. Reading that poem right now would surely kill him. “I’d be lucky if she didn’t smash it instantly.”

Yuta leaned forward against Xiao Zhan’s chest, forearms resting on the lid, and tilted his head to the side. “So… are you going to show us his letters? Minghao is known for his vivid and beautiful poems, I want to see his words to you.”

Both pairs of eyes looked at him with a tinge of mischief, and the flush instantly returned to Jun’s cheeks. He knew it was pointless to avoid them forever, so he just turned his head to the side as he spoke, trying to keep himself from stuttering, “He said not to show the letters to anyone because he was embarrassed of them,” He paused, brushing his long hair through his fingers nervously before continuing, “But… he said he missed me so much that… he wouldn’t just kiss my cheek next time he saw me.”

Instantly, the large room filled with screams, startling Jun and staining his cheeks in pink. He tried to silence them, but there was no way he could control them. Finally, he let the smile he’d been containing show on his lips, and he and Yuta spent the rest of the day huddled up in their room, catching Xiao Zhan up on all the latest gossip. Though Jun was more reserved talking about his rendezvous with the prince, Zhan was able to pull it out of him with some perfectly timed begging. Luhan even let them off for the night to catch up, covering their performances personally whilst claiming he hadn’t sung in years. Yuta had to leave at one point to perform, as he was the only guzhen player in the Red Leaf, but Jun and Xiao Zhan continued talking. This time, it was Zhan’s turn to fill him in on everything that’d happened at the war camp, including the juicy details concerning Yibo. He even gave him some advice on what he could do and say to Minghao. Maybe it was then that Jun realized how much he’d missed his best friend. 

Sometime well after midnight, after the lanterns had all been lit and the candles were half melted, a knock came at their door. They looked at each other from where they lay on the floor before Zhan stood and opened the door to show a younger worker of the brothel named RenJun. He was only two years younger than them, but his face was very youthful. It didn’t help that he was shorter than them all. He bowed his head to Zhan before looking behind him to Jun, a sneaky smile growing on his face as he spoke, “Juni, the prince is calling for you.”

He sat up with wide eyes, his mouth agape. Minghao had said he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get away tonight, but Jun hadn’t actually expected him to be able to. “But I… I’m not even dressed!”

RenJun opened his mouth, but Xiao Zhan cut him off with a smirk directed towards his friend, “Tell him to be patient; Jun will be right down.”

RenJun bowed before leaving, and Jun stood from the floor with a red face, gesturing to his robes with hurried hands. “I am in no manner to be before any prince, let alone Minghao!!”

His words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Zhan walked to the far side of the room, looking over the chests holding the robes of the house. He only looked for a few seconds before side stepping a few and grabbing a small chest. He looked at Jun with a raised eyebrow and a smile, and Jun had a bad feeling grow in his chest.

Perhaps the gardens were even prettier at night. The paths were illuminated by hanging lanterns, and the lakes seemed to glow with a supernatural power. The lotus pond from before had lightning bugs dancing above the surface of the water, almost like fallen stars. Even the lotus flowers dotted across the surface almost gave off a faint pink light reflecting off the surface of the water. The candle on the small table had just been lit mere minutes ago, but the wax drips already collected at the base of it. 

Minghao felt bad about coming so suddenly, but he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. The few days since he’d last seen Jun felt like an eternity, with the hours stretching into what felt like days, and when the security laxed to almost nothing after the feast, he couldn’t help but sneak away. He hadn’t even told Sicheng he was going to visit the Red Leaf, not with the way he was moping to see Yuta. He hadn’t even really changed, still in the simple royal under robes he’d worn to the banquet, though he did himself the favor of removing the stuffy over robe that would only draw too much attention to himself in such a simple environment. It was the first time he’d visited past five in the afternoon, and he had to admit Jun had made the right decision in kicking him out so early every day. Maybe it hadn’t clicked just how popular The Red Leaf was, but as soon as he’d attempted to enter, Yukhei caught him and pulled him around to let him enter through a side alley. He said he’d send someone for Jun but that it may take a while. 

Honestly, Minghao had expected to wait for an hour, but after only 15 minutes, he heard footsteps along the path. He raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of the sound, but the only thing he could see was a faint sparkle of light refraction. As soon as the figure stepped into his line of sight, he felt the wind knocked out of him.

Even with the dim light from the lanterns, no one could mistake the beauty of Jun. Every component of his outfit was made of black fabric, including a tight waist sash and a thin, loose covering that fell to his hip with long, draping angel sleeves. The only bit of color in his dress was the hairpin atop his head, the hairpin that Minghao had gifted him earlier that day. As expected, he looked absolutely beautiful, but in contrast with the onyx robes, it was even prettier than Minghao could have imagined.

Before he realized it, Jun had stepped into the pergola and was sitting beside him on the rug. He shook himself out of his thoughts, bowing his head slightly in shame. “My apologies for not greeting you.” Minghao lifted his head to look at Jun’s warm expression, and he smiled softly before continuing, “Your beauty left me speechless.”

That smile he missed spread across Jun’s face, and he felt one widening across his own cheeks. Before he could stop himself, Minghao reached forward and gently touched Jun’s hair, admiring the colored light the hairpin refracted across his skin. It was almost magical. “I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t seen you in a few days, but you look more beautiful than I remember.”

Jun bowed his head in his own shyness, trying to hide his smile. Minghao’s eyes always saw right through him, but now they seemed to undress him. He was so nervous, he could barely get the nervous out, “The prince... also looks very good this evening.” 

He felt a hand on his cheek guiding his eyes up, and his heartbeat rapidly quickened as his eyes met Minghao’s. “I thought I told you to call me Minghao? Did you like your gift?”

The dancer inhaled slightly as he felt Minghao’s thumb brush his cheek, and he tried to contain the ecstatic smile he felt growing on his face. He nodded shyly, unable to tear his eyes away from Minghao. “It’s beautiful… Minghao. My friends thought it was amazing, and,” he paused as he felt his cheeks burn, but Xiao Zhan told him to be forward, “I loved your letter.”

Minghao chuckled as he dropped his hand, turning to the side in an embarrassed manner. “Ah, that? I’m sorry if my words offended you. I debated even whether to send it or not, it was such a stupid letter-”

“I didn’t think it was stupid,” Minghao quieted as Jun interupted him, and he slowly lifted his eyes to look at him. Jun’s voice was trembling, but it sounded as if it was from excitement rather from nerves, “Actually, I got… excited… when you said what you did.” 

He was playing with his fingers, too nervous to look up to Minghao after he’d basically just agreed to the words in the letter. Even if Minghao had been the one to say them, he also said he would never say them aloud. By being the first person to verbalize the feelings, did that mean Jun was making the first move? Would Minghao now reliaze how stupid it was to fall for a brothel dancer? Oh, he was making a terrible mistake-

A soft hand placed itself under his chin, and he nervously allowed his face to be lifted to face Minghao’s direction. He was toying with his bottom lip to distract himself, but he didn’t miss the way the prince’s eyes fell to observe the movement. He really felt completely bare in front of Minghao, as if he would never be able to hide anything from him even if he wanted to. 

“I do not want to offend you, Junhui.”

Jun shivered at Minghao’s low timbre, eyes shaking slightly in anticipation. He loved when Minghao said his full name; he made it sound almost as elegant as he deserved. What was it that Xiao Zhan said? Now faced with Minghao’s dark eyes, inching closer and closing the space between them, he couldn’t remember his best friend’s advice.

Was it…

“You’re offending me by not kissing me.”

Not even a second after he’d muttered those words did Minghao’s lips press against his own, that hand on his cheek guiding him closer. He’d never kissed anyone before, but he could not deny the butterflies flying in his stomach. Feeling the way Minghao’s soft lips so gently kissed him made him never want to experience it with anyone other than the prince in this lifetime.   
They moved slowly, Minghao not wanting to taint Jun with his selfish desires. The longer they kissed, however, the worse these desires became, and he was forced to break the kiss after mere seconds. Despite the short period, the atmosphere between them shifted dramatically. Jun’s cheeks were flaming, and he looked rather dizzy, swaying slightly where he sat as he looked at Minghao with half lidded eyes. The prince gulped, but refused to take advantage of such an innocent being. Instead, he put his hand around the small of Jun’s back and pulled him in, letting Jun rest his head on his shoulder to regulate his breathing. He looked down at Jun beside him and pulled the hairpin out with a precise hand, letting the rest of his hair tumble loosely down his back before placing the lotus flower on the table. Minghao didn’t remove his hand from Jun’s back, instead holding him close by the waist. They were close, closer than they had been previous, and it was extremely intimate.

After a minute sitting in delicate silence, Jun finally spoke, his voice quiet even in the deaf night, “I can't believe I just kissed a prince.”

Minghao laughed wholeheartedly. Out of everything he’d imagined Jun would say, he hadn’t expected that. “Didn’t live up to your expectations?”

“No, you exceeded them.” Jun looked to the side to see Minghao’s chest, surprise and embarrassment making his chest tight. “I just… can’t believe I kissed my pince.”

Minghao raised an eyebrow, looking down at Jun with a smile. “‘Your prince?’”

He’d expected Jun to get shy and deny the words had left his mouth, not for him to nod dumbly. Maybe he was in too much shock to feel shy. “How can someone be this forward? How can you just lean in and kiss someone? Hell, how can you just walk up to the person you like and start talking to them?” Without lifting his head from Minghao’s shoulder, Jun buried his face in his hands, the sleeves falling back to reveal more of his forearms than Minghao had yet seen. He tried to not let it distract him. “How can Xiao Zhan do this? How can he talk to Yibo the way he does? I will never understand that man.”

Now that Minghao had to raise an eyebrow too. Turning his body ever so slightly to look down at Junhui, he spoke with a curious undertone in his voice, “You know Xiao Zhan? My cousin’s lover?”

Slowly, Jun looked up at Minghao, expression completely neautral, "Xiao Zhan is also a singer here. He's my best friend.”

Without waiting for Minghao nod, Jun looked back at the table before him, watching the candle light flicker through the glass lotus. “Well, I hope you don’t mind your lover being best friends with your cousin’s. Some people may be uncomfortable with that kind of dynamic…”

Before Minghao could tease him, Jun sat up away from him with his face turned to the pond for a few seconds. Minghao was about to ask what he was thinking about when Jun’s sweet voice cut him off, turning back to look at him, “Zhan told me the third prince rescued a hostage and that they seem close, do you know anymore?”

As curious as ever, Minghao thought to himself as he leaned an elbow on the short table, eyes turned fondly to Junhui before him. “Yes, my brother did bring someone back from his crusades, and close is not the word I would use to describe them.”

Jun raised an eyebrow at him, and Minghao chuckled softly. “They weren’t just close, they were inseparable. Zitao followed him like a lost puppy, and he even sat at the same pedestal as him during the banquet, leaning on him like a kitten. I don’t know what happened on the expedition for them to become that way, but seeing Zitao’s boldness and knowing my brother’s affliction for pretty things, I can imagine how it went. Maybe I will ask him when I get the chance.”

His thin fingers gently moved along the wooden table before taking the hairpin between them. Jun watched this movement before turning his attention up to Minghao’s eyes, noticing the emotional thought behind his irises. In the candlelight and in these light robes, Minghao looked so simply elegant, it took Jun’s breath away. He tried to speak, but his voice was quiet, “So, um… Where will Zitao be staying? At the palace?”

Minghao nodded, his eyes looking back to Jun as his fingers continued to play with the hairpin needle, “He is tonight, but mother says Yifan will need to make other living arrangements for him by tomorrow.”

It fell silent between them, Junhui turning his body to face Minghao’s form. They still looked at eachother, but somehow, it didn’t feel awkward. Jun leaned forward slightly, strands of his hair falling forward to frame his face, “You know, if he needed to, he could stay here.”

The movements of Minghao’s hand stopped as he raised an eyebrow at Jun. “You sure about that? He could stay here with no consequences?”

The abrupt realization of what Jun had said caught up with him, and he ducked his head out of embarrassment. “Sorry, I just mean… You already know the palace has connections here, what with you, Prince Sicheng, and Lord Yibo visiting so regularly, and no one else knows this connection exists. You or Prince Yifan could try to pay the house to board him. Xiao Zhan, Yuta, and I will take good care of him along with the house mothers. And,” Jun paused timidly and lifted his gaze to Minghao’s face, afraid he was crossing the line with his input, “he would be safe.”

Though Minghao was turned in his direction, his eyes were off to the side as he thought, giving him a focused expression that enhanced his looks in Jun’s eyes. He couldn’t help but watch as Minghao worked internally, his lips ever so slightly mouthing words and his eyes slightly moving back and forth. It was an expression he had seen before, yes, but not as often as his serene look when he drew or wrote in his presence. Either way, he looked so handsome, it made Jun’s mind go blank.

Suddenly, Minghao’s eyes came back into focus, and he smiled at Junhui in a way that made his heart flutter, “I’ll talk to Yifan about it. Thank you, Junhui.”

At his name, Jun’s heartbeat quickened, and he bit his lip quietly. A comfortable silence settled over them, but Junhui wanted more than silence. He still felt feverish from the first kiss, already over so quick, but was it too soon to ask for another? How was this even supposed to work? Jun wanted to bury his head in his hands and hide: how could he do this?

He felt a hand on his cheek, and he took a sharp inhale at the gentle touch. Minghao was looking at him with his eyebrows furrowed, his lips downturned in a soft frown and his eyes tinged with worry. He’d noticed the silence. “Lotus, what’s with this expression? Do you regret our actions this evening? I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

Immediately, Jun quickly shook his head, eyes wide, “Never!” He placed his hand upon Minghao’s, looking at him seriously, “I promise, Minghao, you did not make me uncomfortable.”

Minghao looked skeptical, and he opened his mouth to fight the claim. Before any words could leave his mouth, However, Jun held Minghao’s face between his hands and firmly pressed their lips together. Surprised, Minghao stumbled back, and Jun lost his balance atop him, landing them in a position such that Jun was practically laying on top of Minghao’s body in a tangle of robes. Despite this awkward position, their lips didn’t part as their passions had grown to a breaking point. Minghao put a hand on the back of Jun’s head, moving his lips against Jun’s as he allowed himself to get carried away. Junhui was inexperienced, but a quick learner. He found the way that made them both feel good, and they continued to exchange passionate, hungry kisses. A fire burned between their bodies, black and white robes mixing in yin and yang as they kissed, and Minghao was the first to introduce his tongue. He felt Jun shudder at the tongue, but he hesitantly opened his mouth as well, their tongues moving slowly together and igniting new feelings inside. For the first time, Minghao felt a faint whimper against his mouth, and he had to hold himself back from ravaging him. 

Jun broke the kiss first, too light headed to continue, and breathed heavily, trembling as he rested his forehead against Minghao’s heaving chest. The space around them was quiet except for their beating hearts echoing in their ears, and Minghao’s head was turned to the sky, blown pupils taking in the starry night. No matter what, he’d never had expected Jun to take the initiative and kiss him like that, but he was not complaining. After he’d caught his breath, he looked down at Jun on top of him, still trembling violently with his head hidden from view.

Worriedly, he put a hand on Jun’s head, attempting to comfort him, “Juni, what’s wrong?”

He watched Jun shake his head, his voice almost tearful, “I- I overstepped my boundaries… I can’t just do that to the prince, it isn’t proper, you could get in immense trouble. If anyone saw this-”

“Junhui, it’s alright.” Minghao waited for Jun to lift his head, which he eventually did. His eyes had tears in them, but they’d yet to be shed. The prince gently wiped Jun’s under eyes, catching the tears and taking them away, “I will not let anyone hurt you. Worst case scenario, Yukhei catches us and you get booted, I can pull you into the palace as a worker and-”

Jun sat up straighter and stared at Minghao seriously with his brows furrowed, cutting him off, “This isn’t about me, Minghao; I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried about you. Your reputation, your title, if the public found out, you would be ruined! This is serious, you can’t be so lax about it!”

Minghao stared at Jun silently, his expression completely neutral and unreadable. It made Jun’s heart stop, but as he made to pull away, Minghao’s arms snaked around his waist and pulled him down, their chests pressing together as the prince fell back against the wooden floor of the pergola. 

“Junhui,” His voice echoed through Jun’s very soul, warming him completely, “I’m not being lax. I’m just not worried about my reputation. You are simply more important than that.”

“Minghao-”

“I mean it.” Jun looked up to meet Minghao’s eyes, surprised by the smile in them, “I would risk everything for you.”

There was no humor or sarcasm in his tone, just pure, unconditional love. He was speaking the truth, anyone would be able to tell. It was so obvious it brought blush to Jun’s face and silenced any words he could have said in response. He tried to fight the smile breaking onto his face, but it came through before he could stop it. 

Minghao’s fingers ran through Jun’s long hair, looking at him with a fond expression as contentment filled his soul. It was a look as filled with love as his words had been, and Jun felt vulnerable under his gaze. In his shyness, he buried his face in Minghao’s chest, the rumbles of his laughter echoing in his ears and warming his ears. 

How did he wind up in this situation? Laying with the prince under the stars? Throwing himself at him? Receiving handmade gifts specially designed for him? Kissing him? It was like something out of the erotic novels sold down the street, and somehow he was the main character. It was unreal, but Jun did not regret nor wish it to stop. Both of them had the same thought simultaneously: their bodies fit together, so comfortable and perfect, it was like they were made for eachother. 

As they lay there, basking in the faint moonlight, the candle long burned out, the true extent of their love sank in. No fear, just love.

Minghao didn’t return to the palace until almost four in the morning, entering through the garden entrance that only he knew of. He really hadn’t expected to run into anyone, maybe a servant or two, but as he entered the main palace, he quickly noticed the loud sounds of military training coming from the courtyard. Curious and always interested to watch, Minghao made his way in that direction, expecting to see the army all training together, but instead getting a view of his brother, Yifan, doing some sword training on a dummy. He got closer, his robes rustling on bare leaves on the ground and gaining Yifan’s attention. He stopped his assault on the mannequin to turn at his brother and smile. 

“Up early?”

“Up late,” Minghao shook his head as he spoke, walking forward and taking the staff from his brother’s grip, “I just returned from The Red Leaf, have you heard of it?”

Surprisingly, Yifan nodded, “Yibo’s lover is from there, we took him along on this past trip to keep him occupied and keep us all entertained.”

Minghao raised an eyebrow at that, twirling the staff in his hand, “Entertained? How? I didn’t take you for a voyeur type.”

Yifan actually blushed but covered it by taking his staff back. “Not like that, Hao. Xiao Zhan is a singer, he has a nice voice. Writing all those poems has dirtied your mind.”

“Or opened it.” Minghao stepped over to the dummy, looking over it’s abuse in his curiosity. He wasn’t a violent type, but he often enjoyed watching his brothers train. “But Sicheng and I have begun frequenting it as well. Actually, my friend there has offered to let Zitao stay if you’re interested.”

Yifan raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? He wouldn’t have to sell his body, would he?”

He heaved a sigh of relief when Minghao shook his head. “Xiao Zhan is a singer, not a courtesan, his only client is Yibo. The ones Sicheng and I visit aren’t courtesans either. If Zitao was to be put to work, he may be able to get a job as a singer, dancer, or even a musician.”

“Good, I’ll talk to him about it, but if he isn’t comfortable leaving my side, I’ll have to talk to Mother about keeping him here.”

A smirk grew on Minghao’s face as he watched YIfan worry. He snickered, folding his hands behind his back as he looked at his brother. “You know, my friend is Xiao Zhan’s best friend at The Red Leaf, and apparently, Xiao Zhan told him about you finding ZItao.” He watched his brother’s expression grow embarrassed, and he continued, “He said you two seemed super close, and it reminded me you didn’t say exactly what happened between you two.”

“What’s there to say? I found him in a barn, I took him to safety, I brought him here. There isn’t much more.” Yifan was twirling the staff again, fidgeting to distract himself from the conversation. 

My brother doesn’t fidget, Minghao thought. 

“Oh, there’s plenty more.” The fourth prince stepped forward, looking up at his much taller brother with an arrogant, knowing stare, “The ice prince of our kingdom brought back a kitten from war and didn’t kill it. I saw the way he looked at you at the banquet, and I saw the way you looked at him.”

His brother remained quiet, and Minghao gripped the staff, drawing his attention to his hand, “If there isn’t anything, then why are you being so protective of a boy you barely know?”

It was quiet, but finally Yifan sighed and looked back at his brother’s face after a few seconds. “Zitao has some fear of being alone and meeting new people. After I found him and took him to the medical tent, he would cry every time the doctors got close. I had to patch him up instead, and then when I tried to leave him in Xiao Zhan's tent, he wouldn’t go, at all. So I let him sleep in my tent instead. That’s all.”

Minghao hummed skeptically before stepping back, looking at his brother with fond eyes, “Brother, you know how perceptive I am. You wouldn’t let just anyone sleep in your bed.”  
They stood still for a few seconds, the light of dawn slowly creeping up over the many roofs of the palace. Yifan turned his back to his brother, an action he commonly did when he was shy in an attempt to save face. It was useless of course. 

“You find him attractive.”

“Of course I do, what human wouldn’t?”

“Are you afraid that he’s a man?”

Surprisingly, Yifan shook his head, looking up to the sky, “With you and Sicheng, that never bothered me.”

Raising an eyebrow, Minghao stepped around his brother to look at him with a straight face, “You two have already done stuff, haven’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“My god, you’ve already done stuff.” Minghao couldn’t stop the laughter that overcame him, and he doubled over, the sounds echoing in the empty courtyard around them. Yifan looked shaken, and it only made him laugh harder. 

“You’re going to wake the whole house, quiet down!”

Minghao regained his composure slowly, and he smiled widely at Yifan, catching him off guard. “You don’t need to tell me in detail, you know, brother. I would just like you to admit what I already know.”

His brother remained quiet, but Minghao expected it. He patted him on the shoulder, looking at him as they stood side by side. “I’m off to bed. Talk to Zitao about the offer, and if he agrees, we’ll all take him later today.”

Without saying anything more, Minghao left the courtyard and finally made his way back to his bed quarters. Yifan looked at the staff in his hand, knuckles turning white at the harsh grip as the dawn slowly broke across his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Despite Zitao’s anxiety of being alone, he did agree to go look at the brothel and make his decision after arriving. When they told the emperor of their plans to survey the city for his lodgings, he insisted that their sisters join them. The princes agreed, but he took it a step further and insisted Yuqi accompany Kun as well. It was no secret within the castle how poorly the two got along because of the engagement, mainly on Yuqi’s end, as she violently opposed the arrangement. However, none of the siblings could refuse their father, so at around one in the afternoon, Zitao and the eight siblings, plus their cousins Yuqi and Yibo, made their way into town in two different carriages, the boys in one and the girls in the other.

In one of the carriers, Zitao fiddled with his fingers from where he sat next to Yifan. “This place isn’t dangerous is it? The people there aren’t mean or scary, are they?”

Sicheng chuckled from where he looked out the window, “I cannot speak for everyone in the house, but the ones we associate with are not scary.”

This did not calm Zitao’s nerves, and he squeaked softly in fear before scooting closer to Yifan’s side. Yifan immediately kicked his brother’s leg and glared at him. “I will kill you, don’t scare him.”

As Sicheng rubbed his shin and pouted, Minghao offered a smile in Zitao’s direction. “Don’t listen to him, the people at the house are very nice, and they will take great care of you if you decide to stay.”

Zitao said nothing, but he did nod once. Yifan watched him with a worried expression, and his hand rubbed the boy’s forearm. Recalling their conversation that morning, Minghao smirked to himself and turned to make conversation with Yibo until they arrived. 

The carriages came to a stop after a few minutes more, and Yifan made to stand, but Kun stopped him and Zitao from exiting. “You stay in here to calm him, we’ll go talk with Yukhei first and make sure Zitao is welcome.”

It was a smooth conversation; Kun offered payment in exchange for Zitao’s lodging, and they talked briefly about the things Zitao could do around the house in order to help pay for his stay. Minghao did not mention that Jun was the one who’d offered, lest he be punished, but Yukhei, and one of the other owners named Luhan, seemed honored to help any way they could. At the end, Kun went to fetch Yifan and Zitao, while Minghao, Sicheng, and Yibo waited. Jun, Yuta, and Xiao Zhan all came to welcome him, curious yet anxious.

Yuta stood next to Sicheng, holding his arm and very evidently flustering him, though he wasn’t paying close attention. “Are you sure we won’t scare him? I don’t want to freak him out.”

Before any of the princes could reply, Xiao Zhan spoke up, taking Yibo’s arm and wrapping it around his shoulders, “He’ll probably freak out anyway, he’s kinda shy. We’re gonna have to work hard to gain his trust so he’ll be comfortable around us.”

Minghao chuckled softly at the embarrassed expression on his cousin’s face at Xiao Zhan’s obvious PDA. Though he himself wanted to hold Jun in his arms, he resisted himself so as to not embarrass Jun. “I trust you’ll be able to do it.”

The door to the office opened, and Yifan stepped in, followed by Zitao who clung to his arm like a koala, and Kun, who closed the door behind them. Zitao stared with wide eyes at the new people in the room, Yuta and Jun immediately gulping out of nervousness.

Yifan’s voice was soft when he spoke to Zitao, his hand rubbing his arm in an attempt to calm him down, “You’ve met Xiao Zhan before, these are his friends Yuta and Jun. They work here, and if you decide to stay, they’ll protect you.”

Zitao looked at Yifan with eyes wide with fear, his breathing visibly quickening, “How? They aren’t you.”

It was quiet in the room, the words sinking in to everyone. Slowly, the singers started giggling, Yuta hiding his face in Sicheng’s shoulder. The princes looked at them confused, and Zitao blinked in confusion, blush coloring his face in embarrassment after a few seconds. He stepped away from Yifan, though one hand still gripped his sleeve tightly. “What’s so funny?”

Jun waved his hands, trying to stifle his giggles but unable to hold back his smile, “Please don’t be offended, we aren’t laughing at you. Just at how obvious your relationship is.”

The couple before them blushed bright crimson but said nothing, although Zitao visibly relaxed more and more. Jun continued, his voice soft and his smile welcoming, “There isn’t need to be afraid, you’re surrounded with like minded people.”

He watched Zitao and Yifan blink before finally looking around the room, noticing Yibo’s arm around Xiao Zhan and how Yuta hugged Sicheng’s side closely. Their eyes landed on Jun and Minghao beside him, and Yifan raised an eyebrow at his brother. This small movement wasn’t missed by Jun, and though he blushed lightly, he reached for Minghao’s hand to hold, nodding in Zitao’s direction. 

Zitao’s face was still red, but his shaking stopped. His eyes still had some fear, but he was now taking the initiative to talk with Jun. “You say like minded, but you haven’t gone through what I have.”

He didn’t elaborate, but everyone knew what he meant. Even in the new, clean robes, the bruises on his neck and face still hadn’t completely healed. Jun’s smile turned sad, and he gripped Minghao’s hand a bit tighter, but he still continued to speak calmly, “You’re right, I haven’t. But I understand some.” He looked behind him to Yuta, who nodded once, before turning back to Zitao and resuming his speech, “I got into an accident when I was young, it killed my parents and left me orphaned and alone. This house took me in and trained me, but I barely remember my true family. Yuta,” he gestured behind him, eyes still on Zitao, “his parents were killed at sea on their journey to this land. He’s adapted well, but, like me, he will never see his parents again. You don’t remember your parents now, but when you remember them, you may still be able to see them when you return.”

Throughout the story, Zitao’s face softened, and he looked like he regretted his words the instant Jun had begun speaking. He bowed his head. “I apologize for my words.”

“Don’t,” Zitao looked up to see Jun smiling, no more sadness lining its edges, “They’re just words, words don’t matter. I just wanted to make it clear: the people in this room accept you, and we can help you if you decide to stay.”

It was quiet as Zitao thought it over, but Minghao wasn’t looking at him. His eyes were trained solely on Jun, irises glowing with pride and love. He didn’t know Jun’s past, barely knew his age, but he’d gone through so much already. Such tragedy hiding behind that loving smile, no one would ever know. 

“Okay… I’ll stay.”

Minghao looked to Zitao who’d spoken, Yifan smiling brightly at him. The mood in the room shifted immediately to be much brighter. ZItao still looked anxious, but a lot more comfortable. 

“Okay enough of this,” Xiao Zhan brushed past Jun and looped his arm around Zitao’s, startling him. When he looked at his face, however, there was only a warm smile, “I remember from the compound how much you like pretty things, so why don’t we go shopping? I saw a pretty obsidian hairpin that would look beautiful on you; we have to go grab it.”

Zitao hesitated but nodded after a few seconds, and they promptly swept out of the room, Jun and Yuta running after in a fit of giggles and sweeping fabric, leaving the princes dumbfounded in the small office space. 

“Am I the only one a bit concerned about leaving them alone?”

“No, I am, too.”

“We should go help them.”

The three youngest princes tried to exit, but Kun cleared his throat. They looked at him, and he raised an eyebrow at them, “Did you forget we’re here to escort our sisters?”

Sicheng smirked and walked beside the crown prince, standing straight with a playful look in his eye, “You mean we’re here to escort our sisters, you’re here to escort YuQi.”

He groaned as he made to open the office door, “Don’t remind me.” 

They stepped out of the office and made their way to the entrance of The Red Leaf, their sisters plus Yuqi gathered around with veils covering their faces. 

Yiren, first daughter and eldest of the royal siblings, smirked playfully, “I take it Zitao decided to stay? Either that or a bunch of prostitutes just kidnapped him.”

“Haha, very funny,” Kun rolled his eyes and moved to stand next to her, “but those were the musicians of the house, not the courtesans.”

“Besides, those were our dear brother’s lovers I hear so much about, weren’t they?”

At Shuahua’s words, Yuqi turned and almost glared at Yifan, “You better not be cheating on my sister with anyone in this house.”

Yifan raised an eyebrow and ruffled her hair teasingly, “Our engagement announcement has been postponed because of the uprisings in the west; surely, Qian told you. Besides, we certainly won’t be married until long after you and my brother are.”

“That won’t happen if I have any say-”

“Yuqi, we don’t have any say-”

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

Sighing, Kun turned to Yukhei and shook his head, “Not at all. Please, let me introduce you to my sisters. Yiren, Xiening, Jieqiong, Shuahua, and my cousin,” He pointed to each of them respectively, but paused when his eyes laid upon Yuqi. Her cheeks were slightly red behind her black veil, and she was smiling bashfully in a way that hasn't surfaced since she was informed about her engagement with Kun. It was directed towards Yukhei... and he was smiling at her in return. 

The royal siblings watched in surprise as Yuqi stepped forward, movements graceful, “My name is Song Yuqi, and you are?”

Yukhei smiled and bowed his head respectfully, “Fair lady, every man in the country knows your name. My name is Wong Yukhei, and I help manage this house.”

“Yuqi, we should get going-”

Ignoring her brother, Yuqi stepped up beside Yukhei, slipping her hand around his elbow and peaking up at him through the veil. Even Yukhei looked put off by her boldness. “Would you mind escorting me around the shops in the area? Or are you occupied this afternoon?”

Yukhei looked towards the princes, confused about what he was allowed to do, but Yibo just nodded with an encouraging glance. Smiling, Yukhei looked back to Yuqi, “I’ll tell my employer that the royal family has requested my presence, how about that?”

Behind her veil, Yuqi smiled brightly as the pair walked inside. The princes stood in shock, still not quite grasping the scene they’d just witnessed. Yibo got their attention by slapping Kun’s shoulder, a small smile on his face. “I don’t think your engagement will be in effect much longer.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent browsing the various shops lining the street, and there were probably hundreds of shops, stalls, and vendors about the way. The princesses each bought bags upon bags of delicate hairpins and scarves, but they weren’t the only ones: each prince spoiled their lover as much as they would allow. Xiao Zhan was used to it, having no problem asking Yibo for whatever he wanted, and Yibo seemed ready to either hand over money or roll his eyes and say no. In fact, he seemed the only prince who could say no. Every sparkly or pretty thing caught Zitao’s eye, and every time that look of wonder appeared on his face, Yifan couldn’t stop himself from buying it. Though Yuta asked for less, Sicheng offered more, but they eventually went their own way after Yuta wanted to try on some new outfits. 

Junhui, on the other hand, asked for nothing. He enjoyed looking at what was available, but never looked to Minghao. Not for lack of trying. The prince quite enjoyed holding pins to Jun’s hair and watching him blush at the attention, and Minghao loved discovering everything that complimented Jun’s complexion. However, everytime Minghao offered to get him something, Jun refused to let him buy it. Minghao wondered if Jun was just shy or if he didn’t want Minghao’s gifts. Their conversation late last night, Jun wasn’t regretting it, was he?

No, he wasn’t. Not after that display in the office. 

Eventually, their large group settled to watch a storyteller on the street, all of them except Yuta and Sicheng, who opted to continue shopping, and Yifan and Zitao, who went back to Red Leaf so Zitao could recuperate from the busy day. Their status got them front row seats, and the princesses greatly enjoyed the interactive experience. After a short while, Yuqi pulled Yukhei away, quickly followed by Kun, worried about his cousin/ fiancee. About halfway through the story, Xiao Zhan grew tired, and Yibo took him back to the Red Leaf to get some rest. That left Jun and Minghao alone. Well, alone with the princesses. The girls sat a couple meters away, listening incessantly to the story being told. Jun looked enthralled as well, his eyes captivated by the charismatic storyteller. Minghao, who’d read hundreds of stories similar to this, found himself half listening, staring instead at Jun beside him. 

His hair was half up, a style he usually wore because his hair was so thick. He had no pins or adornments anywhere on his person, and his warm, purple hanfu had little embroidery. The sash on his waist had a hint of thread in a floral design, but that was all: everywhere else, the fabric was plain. Though the simplicity enhanced Jun’s features and beauty, Minghao could not help but want to see him dressed up. He wanted to see the most luxurious hanfu hang upon his frame, he wanted to see his hair glitter with gems. He realized, belatedly, that he was sure Jun would look beautiful in royal robes, and that the red and gold laid within them would be his best color. 

“What are you thinking about, Prince?”

Minghao shook himself. He’d been caught staring, and Jun was now turned in his direction as well, pretty eyes laced with confusion and cheeks dusted with pink. 

Really, he looked beautiful. 

Minghao shook his head and sat up a bit straighter, “nothing really, just about what happened back in the office.”

It was like a switch flipped. Jun’s body cowered in on itself, head ducking down in embarrassment. His voice was soft, whispering so their conversation wouldn’t be heard by anyone around them, “please don’t put too much thought into it, Minghao. I exposed us to comfort Zitao, but I didn’t ask if I was allowed to in front of your brothers.”

“I wasn’t thinking about that at all, actually,” Minghao waited until Jun looked back at him before continuing, a fond look in his eye when Jun made eye contact with him again, “I was thinking about what you said after that, about your parents.”

“Oh. That.” Jun looked back to the storyteller, his face giving away the internal conflict he seemed to be having. After a short while of listening to the story, Jun finally looked back to Minghao with a soft smile on his face, just barely lined with the faintest hints of sadness, “there isn’t much more to tell, unfortunately. It was a carriage accident, my father was thrown, and my mother and I were buried under the rubble. I had a few scrapes, a sprained ankle maybe, but she got a nasty hit to the head from the roof. Apparently, she covered me.” 

Jun looked so calm talking about how his parents died. It was as if he didn’t remember it actually happening, just knew what he’d been told. His eyes looked away, a thoughtful look in his eyes and pursed lips as he thought, “It was over ten years ago now, I must’ve been four or five years old.”

Minghao had been listening thoughtfully, but at the last sentence, he raised an eyebrow, “you’re fifteen? I thought you’d be older than that.”

“Oh no, I turned seventeen this year. My apologies, I thought I’d told you my age already.” 

The prince shook his head, eyes fondly looking over Jun’s form. Slowly, he lifted a hand towards Jun’s face, the younger’s eyes watching before leaning away slightly.

“Sire, what are you-”

His fingers gently took the ribbon tying Jun’s hair up between his thumb and forefinger, tugging lightly with a teasing look in his eye. Before Jun could say no, Minghao tenderly pulled the ribbon loose, letting Jun’s hair fall ceremoniously down past his shoulders and frame his face. Jun lifted a hand for the ribbon, cheeks pink, but Minghao pulled away, a mischievous smile on his face. Jun chased him, leaning closer, but the prince didn’t move, just held his hand away.

“Minghao, please-”

“You know, I like when your hair is down,” Minghao’s voice was soft as he spoke, instantly getting Jun’s attention. His eyes looked at him lovingly, no hint of deception, “It's beautiful.”

The people around them didn’t notice the altercation, though Jun wondered how with how loudly his heart was beating. His entire view was Minghao’s eyes, warm and loving to the point he felt like flying. His breath hitched as Minghao’s free hand came up and adjusted some strands of hair around his face, eyes looking over him fondly. 

“You’re beautiful.”

Jun blinked and attempted to turn his face away, but Minghao’s palm placed itself on his cheek, the soft touch completely disabling him from moving. His thumb brushed against his skin, their eyes still connected, and when he spoke, his voice was soft enough to be kept between their bodies, “Why do you dislike it when I spoil you? I want to shower you with gold and gems, I want to design only the highest quality of robes for you and tailor them to you perfectly, I want to see you blossom like the lotus you are.”

The dancer sighed softly, his lips turning faintly upward. Though he feared being seen, he lifted his hand and gently held the back of Minghao’s on his cheek, tilting his head into his palm and looking up at Minghao from the angle, “I don’t want any of that. I just want you.”

Suddenly, Minghao desperately wished they were alone. But all of his brothers had left, and if their father knew they’d abandoned their sisters in the middle of the town, he’d be absolutely livid. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his forehead against Jun’s and closing his eyes peacefully, “Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you?”

He felt Jun’s breath on his face, as if he’d just happily sighed. After a few more seconds of resting, Jun rubbed their noses together before pulling away. It was a gentle touch, and Minghao craved more, but he couldn’t get it, not now, not in public. He sighed and turned back to the story teller, wanting time to move faster. Almost immediately, however, he felt Jun’s head rest on his shoulder, and Jun’s soft hand found its way to Minghao’s, interlacing their fingers behind the flowing sleeves of their hanfu.

Maybe he could wait a little longer if they could stay in this moment. 

The story ended close to sunset, and the pair walked the princesses back to the Red Leaf where everyone was waiting. As soon as they’d walked up, Yuqi stepped out of the brothel with pink cheeks, running to Shuahua and immediately pulling her into the carriage. Giggling, the princesses filed in after the two, leaving Minghao and Jun to rejoin the princes. Sicheng and Yuta were talking casually, though Sicheng looked somewhat embarrassed, and Yifan seemed to be staring up at the windows of the Red Leaf, a worried expression settled on his lips. Yibo was standing alone, Xiao Zhan probably upstairs resting before his performances that day. Jun would need to get dressed soon as well, but Minghao had a bit of a plan up his sleeve in that department. 

As soon as the fourth prince was noticed, Kun and Yifan pulled themselves up into the carriage, the elder comforting the anxious Yifan. Sicheng bid Yuta goodbye and watched him enter the Red Leaf. Yibo put his hand on the wall of the carriage, letting Sicheng go up first and looking behind him to see Minghao standing by the entrance. He raised an eyebrow at his best friend, “are you coming?”

Minghao nodded, taking Jun’s hand in his own before speaking, “Just another minute, I won’t be long.”

He waited until Sicheng and Yibo had nodded and disappeared inside the carriage as well before facing Jun for what would unfortunately be the last time that day. As usual, is cheeks were a beautiful shade of pink, and his eyes glittered, “Is there something more you want to say, sire?”

“Yes, just something quick,” Minghao reached inside his sleeve and retrieved his fan, a must-have accessory for outings on a summer day. Jun’s eyes watched the movements, his head tilted in curiosity as Minghao unfurled the fan.

“Minghao, is this..?”

The prince in question raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously, “It wasn’t going to be a gift, but if you’d like it, how could I refuse?”

Jun’s cheeks bloomed pink again, but he smiled at his wit and hid the bottom of his face behind his sleeve. “So why have you produced it, sir?”

It was quiet between them as Minghao quirked an eyebrow before holding the fan up, creating a shield between them and the street lest any onlookers, or worse, his brothers, catch any intimate moments. Jun’s eyes flicked towards it before looking back at the prince who was now leaning closer.

“What are you-”

His words were cut off by the light press of lips against his own, and he quickly lost what he was going to say in the sultry kiss. Every time Minghao’s lips moved against his own, he felt like a master compared to Jun’s inexperience. Faint moans slipped from his lips as Minghao kissed him, pouring oil on the fire already burning inside the prince. They were pressed so close together, yet they wanted to be closer, but they couldn’t. Not here. 

Jun broke the kiss first, breathing heavily and resting his forehead on Minghao’s own, eyes pressed closed as he tried to correct himself. Before he’d completed that step, however, Minghao was peppering his lips with faint kisses again and again. It was so cute, Junhui couldn’t help but giggle, lightly pushing Minghao’s chest as he laughed and turned his face away. Even with his eyes closed, he could feel Minghao’s smile against his cheek and his breath fan along his skin, and an intense feeling of love surged in his chest. 

“Sire, we can’t do this here.” Even as Junhui spoke, he made no move to completely pull away. Instead, he lifted his hand from the prince’s chest to gently press against his cheek, the tips of their noses just barely touching. “You know this very well.”

The soft look in Minghao’s eye made Junhui’s breath catch in his throat, and his heart jumped when the prince pressed his palm to the back of his hand, guiding his hand back down to his chest and right over his left pectoral. Where the heart resided. Before Junhui even had time to blush, Minghao was whispering softly in the space between them, “I so desperately wish to be alone with you, but this is all I will be able to get today. I couldn’t resist myself anymore, I hope I haven’t offended you with my actions.”

Quickly, Junhui shook his head, trying to stop any of his internal freak outs from being overly obvious. He could barely focus on the words coming out of Minghao’s mouth with his frantic heartbeat in his ears, but he wasn’t alone. He could feel Minghao’s heartbeat beneath his fingertips, and it was getting faster with every second that passed. “You haven’t offended me, Minghao… I also wish we could have more time.”

Minghao’s eyes flashed dangerously, and the grip on his hand tightened ever so slightly on Junhui’s own. “I will return tomorrow for you. I will come after your performance, and I would like if you would join me by the lotus pond after. Though,” he held Junhui’s hand against his lips, kissing the palm intimately whilst not breaking eye contact, whispering against the skin, “I cannot make any promises to restrain my actions.”

It was strange. They were in the middle of the public, and yet they each felt as if they were the only ones in the world. Junhui bit his lip, unable to help the shy smile on his lips. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, however, a voice from the other side of the fan startled them out of their moment. 

“I hate to interrupt you lovebirds, but I’m afraid our father will throw a fit if we don’t arrive at the same time as our sisters.”

Watching Minghao roll his eyes at his brother’s words was quite entertaining, and Junhui couldn’t stop his giggling as he closed the fan and glared at Kun in the carriage entrance. He turned back to the lotus and gently caressed his cheek, an action that felt ten times more inappropriate without the fan covering them from public scrutiny. “I’ll be back tomorrow night, wait for me.”

“Always.”

With that, Minghao swept away, his robes following him into the carriage. He shot him one last look before closing the door, and Junhui waved for a few seconds before the carriage began moving, watching until it was out of sight. Letting out a shaky exhale, Junhui stepped into the Red Leaf before immediately getting grabbed by Yuta. The man began pulling him towards a small crowd at the far end of the room, but Junhui didn’t know why.

“Di, what’s going on?”

“There’s a fortune teller visiting as a guest, we have to get you read!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” He waited until Yuta finally paused in his movements, though he didn’t drop his arm, and looked at him with a raised brow, “How are you sure they’re real? This isn’t the first time we’ve been cheated.”

Yuta sighed like it was the most obvious thing, but his smile never wavered, “She isn’t taking money, but she’s only doing a small amount of people. We have to get you read!”

He pulled on his arm again, but Junhui let himself get dragged to the other side of the room. It was a small crowd of a few patrons, but mostly the courtesans were hovering to listen to the fortunes of their coworkers. The supposed fortune teller was a woman who appeared to be in her late thirties as most, her skin bright and youthful though with some happy lines around her eyes. She was in a dusty brown hanfu, her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She certainly didn’t look the part of fortune teller.

Yuta dropped Jun’s arm and approached the woman before whispering something in her ear, her eyes immediately turning towards Jun. That was when he finally noticed the white color in her eyes: she was blind. 

The woman lifted her hand in his direction, almost beckoning him forward, and Jun made the steps forward as the crowd parted for him. He made to sit across from her, but her voice stopped him, “no, please sit beside me. It’s easier that way.”

Junhui shot a look to Yuta, who shrugged, before sitting beside the woman. For some reason, his palms were sweating.

“Your hand, please.”

He lifted his left hand, but when she touched it, she shook her head. “The other, please.”

Hesitantly, he lifted his shaking hand and presented his right palm to her. Though she couldn’t have seen it, the corner of her lips turned upwards slightly when her face turned to it. She held his hand palm up with one hand, and with the other, she gently traced over the lines in his palms. It was fairly standard, though when her thumb brushed over where Minghao had kissed, her smile seemed to widen slightly. “Love truly is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

The courtesans around them whispered, and Junhui flushed bright pink. He didn’t dare interrupt her work, but his mind was racing. He hoped she wouldn’t elaborate into specifics, not in front of all his coworkers. 

She seemed to have heard his silent prayers, as she did not elaborate, at least not in the way he’d feared, “in every life, there are people you are destined to meet. I’m glad you met this person and did not run from your fate.”

His heart pounded, and he leaned forward ever so slightly, voice shaking as he spoke, “What do you mean? Fate? Love?”

She did not answer him, continuing the reading without acknowledging he’d ever spoken, “You’ll marry rich, dearie, and you’ll be happy for a long time.” Her fingertip traced over a line in his hand, and she let out a small sound of approval. “It won’t be long at all, maybe a month or two.”

The courtesans around him cheered, but Junhui could barely focus on anything except trying to prevent his heart from popping out of his chest. He bit his lip, the curiosity building too high in his chest, “What if we don’t? What if they stop loving me tomorrow? What if I was never enough for him and he throws me out the next chance he gets?”

“Oh, dearie,” her hand grazed his cheek, and he looked frightfully at her, scared of his own future. Her words were soft, so soft Junhui could barely hear her, let alone any of the onlookers, “he loves you very much, and I know you love him too. You just need to believe in yourself a bit more, just like he does. He’s your soulmate for a reason.”

His heart soared at the word, but before he could say anything else, she stood from the table and hobbled out of the Red Leaf, leaving Jun sitting in shock. He clenched his fist and held it against his chest, trying to prevent his smile from completely cracking his face in two pieces. 

Soulmate. That was the word she’d used. Was this the reason they’d clicked so easily, the reason he’d felt drawn to the prince’s work, the reason Minghao was so sure of their relationship? Were they truly destined to be? What is it she’d said, that I need to believe in myself more? That’s easier said than done, but if it’s for Minghao…  
Junhui lifted a hand to his hair and realized, belatedly, that he’d never tied it back up after Minghao had undone his ribbon. He then realized the ribbon was no longer even in his possession, that the prince must’ve taken it so he couldn’t pull his hair back again. Junhui smiled at the thought that Minghao, Fourth Royal Son of the Emperor and Renowned Artisan, could treasure a simple, cheap length of ribbon… just because it belonged to him. 

“Maybe I can stand to be a bit braver, at the very least.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I didn't get to post at all during pride month :( I hope this is dense enough for you.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *smut warning*
> 
> Not too bad, but it's somewhat explicit. 
> 
> I also wrote the smut at 4 AM so I apologize for any mistakes

“Headed to the Red Leaf?”

Minghao looked over his shoulder to where he’d heard Yibo’s voice originate, nodding as he pulled his robes on though he couldn’t see his cousin. “Yes, I told Junhui I would see him after his performance tonight.”

There was movement behind him, and Yibo finally walked around to come into view. Perhaps some might feel uncomfortable to dress in front of another, but neither of them cared too much about something so trivial. “It’s a bit early, though. If you leave now, you’ll get there before-”

“That’s the point.” Minghao adjusted the black sash around his waist before looking up to his cousin with a sly smile. “I want to see his performance again.”

“But you know he doesn’t want you there during social hours.” Yibo sat against the bed, eyes trained on Minghao as he adjusted his hair. “Xiao Zhan doesn’t even allow me to be there during his evening performances.”

Yibo watched Minghao sigh before he slowly turned towards him, a small smile on his lips though his shoulders sagged uncharacteristically. “I haven't seen my lotus dance on a stage in weeks. I feel like I’ve forgotten what first drew me to him.”

Surprised, Yibo stood and stepped forward, his hand on the edge of the bed. “What could you mean? Don’t tell me you-”

“No, it’s not that. Every passing day, my love for him grows stronger and more irrepressible. In fact, I plan on making a rather large advancement during our meeting this evening. But I can only barely remember the feeling I had when I watched him the first time. I know it was intense, but It escapes me so frequently. I hope if I see it again, I will not only be reminded of that feeling, but perhaps I could fall even more in love with him.”

Out of all the royal children, Minghao was no doubt one of the most private. Rather than going to banquets and accompanying the emperor to meetings, Minghao was much more commonly seen in the library or the garden. He rarely spoke to his siblings about what was personally affecting him, and even Yibo had barely heard such honesty from his cousin’s lips.  


“Have… you told him those words yet? Using the word ‘Love’ specifically?”

It was quite hilarious, watching his usually strong minded cousin look so shy: his eyes were downcast, and the smile on his lips was soft. In every action and word, he dripped with love. “Not yet, I feel like it would be moving too fast for him. I’m actually a bit worried I’ll say something accidentally, but I hope that won’t be the case.”

Yibo watched carefully as Minghao reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of string… no, a length of ribbon? It looked somewhat familiar, so as Minghao was twirling it between his fingers, Yibo thought to where he could have seen it before. It was a few more seconds before it finally clicked: Jun’s hair from yesterday, the ribbon. He could have sworn Jun had been wearing it in the office, but he couldn’t remember now if he’d worn it back into the Red Leaf. Well, apparently not, not if it was now in Minghao’s possession. 

More importantly, his expression towards the hairpiece was so fond and delicate, laced with love in every gesture. No matter who looked at Minghao right now, they could not deny the obvious love he felt for Junhui, whatever disapproval they might feel. 

“You wanna join me?”

The question pulled Yibo out of his thoughts, and he shook himself slightly. “What was that? Sorry, I spaced out.”

“Do you want to join me?” Minghao smirked sneakily towards him as he tightened the sash around his waist. “At the Red Leaf for Junhui and Xiao Zhan’s performance. I know you must be curious about their joint performances.”

Yibo hesitated, torn between his curiosity and his loyalty. “You know they don’t want us there during the social hours. What if we upset them with our presence?”

“Oh, come one, Yibo. Don’t you want to see their joint stages?”

Minghao watched his cousin open and close his mouth as he thought of a way to fight the tempting words. The artist approached him and smiled, resting a hand on Yibo’s shoulder before speaking, “Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to watch Xiao Zhan on stage again, and just imagine him and Jun performing together. You’ve been seeing Zhan for months and you’ve never witnessed a joint stage because they dislike us being there during social hours.”

Yibo mulled it over, playing with his fingers behind his sleeves. Despite the fact that Zhan wasn’t shy in their relationship, he disliked Yibo sitting in the main room during his performances, garnering lots of attention. Unfortunately, that was the only place in the whole of Red Leaf with a view of the stage. 

But he dislikes it...

“I don’t know-”

“I’ll cover for you the next time you sneak Zhan inside the palace.”

“Deal.”

-

“My my, Prince Minghao and Lord Yibo, how wonderful of you to grace us with your presence. But if I do recall, you were here just yesterday, yes?”

“Oh, shove it, Yukhei.” Minghao laughed as he rested an elbow on the host’s table, looking around the corner to see the main room bustling with more people than he’d yet seen, “We’re here to view the stage tonight, so we’d like to request the best table.”

“And while you’re at it,” the two turned to Yibo who had been quiet thus far, smiling sneakily from his place beside Minghao, “rent a room on the second floor for after the performance.”

Everyone in that conversation knew what that meant, and Yukhei made a quick note on his table with a cheeky smile on his face. “Will you be joining him in the room, Minghao? Or would you prefer the lotus pond again?”

“The lotus pond, if you please. I’m not one to run from nature.”

Yibo elbowed his waist, and Minghao laughed playfully. After writing down the requests, Yukhei guided them to the corner table he’d sat at during his first visit. There weren’t any performers on stage yet, but the musicians were getting their instruments ready for the upcoming number. As servers decorated the small table with bowls of small snacks and bottles of alcohol, Minghao watched the musicians on stage with a curious expression. Obviously, he recognized Yuta in the center, but there was another man and two women beside him he hadn’t met before. They were all chatting comfortably, but it was more interesting to see the different instruments the Red Leaf had to offer. One woman was tuning her Konghou on the far end of the stage, as that was the only place to fit such a large harp, and the other sat beside her cleaning her Gudi. Yuta sat third from the left, absentmindedly tuning his Guzhen whilst talking with the younger boy beside him who was polishing his drum. 

Minghao was just contemplating the music he could write for the Konghou when Yuta looked in his direction, eyes wide with recognition as he noticed the two royals. He opened his mouth as if he were to say something, but Minghao put his forefinger over his lips as if to shush him. They stared at each other for a few seconds longer, but the boy on Yuta’s left regained his attention once more. They seemed to signal to each other, and two workers approached the four corners of the stage and untied the thin fabric gathered at each corner post. As the fabric fell, lightly catching on a faint breeze blowing through the open doors, the courtesans went around the room and blew out several lanterns along the walls, leaving only the light of sunset and the small candles on each table lighting the room. Seeing the room as it was now, Minghao felt this was how it was always meant to be viewed. He almost felt robbed by only seeing it during the afternoon, because now, during evening, it gave off a sultry vibe. It felt perfect.

A chord was struck on the Konghou, and everyone’s attention was drawn back to the stage where Xiao Zhan and Junhui stood, arms stretched in a delicate fashion with extended fans held in each hand-

“Fans?”

Yibo shushed him, and Minghao clamped his mouth shut as the music began. They began moving as if they were mirror images of each other, the murky lighting keeping the royals’ faces hidden. That was probably a good thing with how hard Minghao was staring at Jun’s form dancing across the stage. The robes were a deep blue and flowed like water as he moved, and silver ribbon and thread wound along the fabric as well as through his hair which fanned out with every spin. The prince watched as Jun hid the bottom half of his face behind the fan, eyes falling around the room before he turned around again, his hair cloaking his back like a curtain of obsidian. 

It was then he got lost in the dance once more. Junhui was always an impressive dancer, obviously since that was what drew him in the first place, but seeing him now, giving maximum effort in such an impressive performance, it really did make Minghao love and appreciate him more. As he watched Junhui’s steps on the stage, delicate but sturdy and full of purpose, he was struck by his skill. The same way Junhui admired him for his art, he admired him for his dance. They had a mutual respect for each other as artisans that Minghao had only then realized. 

Another thing Minghao realized: the fan dance with his hair down? Two things they’d just talked about yesterday suddenly making an appearance in one of his evening performances where the prince isn’t even supposed to be? It couldn’t be a coincidence. 

Junhui was purposefully saving this performance for when he wouldn’t be here. 

But why? 

Junhui looked in his direction again, and the moment their eyes met, he felt the connection between them grow stronger. Somehow, his love and desire for Junhui was only growing as he watched. Actually, his love was always growing, but right now, watching Jun seductively evade and twist on stage, graceful body movements telling the story of a beautiful goddess, the inappropriate thoughts he’d been suppressing found their way to the front of his mind. The sash pulled tight at his waist, the fabric swirling to create a whirlwind of passion, the smile on his lips so happy it was seductive and his eyes absolutely glowing with life. 

What was it that Minghao loved about the lotus of Red Leaf?

“Everything.”

Yibo hit the back of his head in another attempt to quiet him, and Minghao shot him a look before downing the rest of the alcohol in his cup. He didn’t recall drinking any during the performance, but now, he could feel the strong alcohol content burning through his veins, heating his already warm body. On stage, Junhui used the closed fan to gesture to the heavens, his body stilling in the final position of the dance, before he let the fan dramatically fall open above his head. His free hand reached behind him in a curve, delicate fingers poised perfectly to compliment the draping fabric. Everyone held their breath until the last stroke of the guzheng faded out, but the instant it did, applause erupted and filled the room. Minghao smiled proudly in Junhui's direction, watching him and Xiao Zhan bow after the performance. 

Beside him, Yibo nudged him and leaned close to tell him he was heading to the second floor to wait for Zhan there. In all truth, Minghao’s attention was still glued to the stage, still glued to Junhui. Around him, workers were lighting a few more lanterns as the sky grew darker, and Minghao knew this meant that his identity would be revealed soon, if it hadn’t already. He made to stand but immediately felt a weight wrap around his arm. He looked down with wide eyes only to see a courtesan he remembered seeing before but couldn’t place her name.

“Sire, I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of associating as of yet.”

Minghao smiled politely, but he knew his annoyance was present on his face. It wasn’t that he was hiding from Junhui, but he would have liked to surprise him. “No, I don’t believe we have. I don’t think the fates have that in store for us.”

He didn’t mean it as a compliment, but the girl laughed like he did. Seriously, could anyone here take a hint? She blinked up at him in what he was sure was supposed to be a seductive glance, but inside, Minghao preferred the shy way Junhui avoided his eyes. “Maybe we can change our fates, sire, if you’d like to rent a room upstairs with me-”

“I’m sorry-”

“Minghao?”

The prince looked in the direction of the voice, smiling fondly the instant Junhui entered his vision. How he wanted to run to him and hold him tight, but the girl clinging tight to his arm weight him down. He winked at Junhui, his heart soaring at the pink blush that bloomed on his face, before looking back to the girl beside him. He’d have to make this quick, since he knew Junhui wouldn’t say anything defensive, but firm and polite. 

“I’m sorry, miss, but-”

“Sorry, Fei-Jia,” Jun interrupted the prince, gaining their attention, before pulling Minghao to stand beside him, he and the courtesan staring in surprise, “but the prince comes to Red Leaf for me. I’ll have to ask you to refrain from trying to seduce him, because I’m afraid I’ve already succeeded in that. We’ll be going now.”

Minghao was in such shock, he couldn’t resist as Junhui pulled him away and through the back doors. He couldn’t believe his Junhui had said those things, had admitted so boldly to what they’d been doing, but the happy smile on his face couldn’t be contained. He was sure it was far too inappropriate for a prince to smile this way, for people might think he was insane, but he just couldn’t help it, not with how happy he felt. Just when he was sure his love for Junhui couldn’t possibly grow anymore, it did, forever growing all encompassing until the day it would consume him. 

Before he realized it, they were by the lotus pond under the pergola that brought back so many nice memories. The lanterns hanging from the roof were lit, and dusk was slowly pulling the sky darker. Minghao was still smiling like an idiot, just registering Junhui was speaking when silver sparkled before his eyes.

“- and I can’t believe Fei-Jia would make a move on you right in front of me! She didn’t even do it while I was performing, no, she had to do it when I could finally see you in the crowd, which by the way, why are you even here?! I had one request, one: no staying here past five in the evening. Why do you think we asked you royals not to come so late? It’s not just because we don’t want you to get in trouble, but you saw how many more people are stuffed inside that room during social hours! We can’t do anything about the people who crowd you, we can’t say no, I can’t say ‘stay away from him, he’s mine’ because I have no claim for you-”

“But you did.”

Silence fell in the air between them, and Minghao noticed the makeup decorating Junhui’s face. It was stage makeup, done to be more dramatic and colorful. Black lines around his eyes and sprouting wings, beautiful red lips, and pale face makeup. It was different, and it was nice, but it wasn’t Junhui. Minghao stepped forward and took Jun’s hand in his own, using his right sleeve to wipe the makeup away. 

“What are you-”

“I want to see your face.”

Stage makeup at the time was pigmented, but fairly easy to remove. It took a little rubbing, but after a few minutes and a stained sleeve, Junhui’s beautiful face was finally exposed. Minghao smiled and gently caressed his cheek, looking at him fondly. “I can’t believe you said that to her. That was so cute.”

He pinched the dancer’s cheek, smiling wide when he whined and stomped his foot like a child, “Don’t tease me! I just… don’t like the thought of her fawning all over you and trying to get in your robes. That’s like cheating.”

Minghao laughed softly, and before he could stop himself, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jun’s own. Unlike before, Jun didn’t hesitate in kissing back, and he wound his arms around the prince’s neck, surprising Minghao into letting his guard down. Not wasting any time, Junhui pressed forward and tilted his head to the side, slipping his tongue inside Minghao’s mouth and dancing shyly with Minghao’s tongue. The prince stood there dumbfounded before he finally realized what was happening: Junhui was finally being sure in their relationship. The mere thought made Minghao smile again, and he lifted his hands to tangle in Jun’s long hair, pressing forward until the only thing separating their bodies was the layers of fabric between them that he oh so wanted to shed. 

It wasn’t long before Junhui broke the kiss, breathing harder than Minghao had yet heard, and the prince guided Junhui to sit on the floor with him, melting together in a pile of limbs and fabric. Jun was on his knees, half on Minghao’s knee, and the position made him shy, if only because he’d never done it before. Night was falling now, and in the back of his mind he knew that it would be more difficult for outside onlookers to see what they were doing. Maybe that was why he reached for Minghao’s sash, timid fingers loosening the fabric enough to pull it loose. It didn’t do much on its own, but it did make the prince’s outer robe fall slightly more apart to reveal the inner robes beneath, and just behind that layer would be skin-

“Junhui?”

“Hm?” 

“It’s just, well, you had better make it clear what you want before I devour you.”

Maybe it was then that the weight of their current situation became obvious to Junhui. Here he was, undressing the fourth prince, not even completely sure what he wants out of the situation. Was he even ready for their relationship to go that far? He didn’t know. Junhui didn’t know what he was ready for at all. But could he really say that? Would Minghao be upset?

No. No, he wouldn’t.

Junhui took a deep breath and gripped the hems of Minghao’s outer robe tightly, almost as if he were trying to ground himself. “I.. don’t think I’m ready for everything, Minghao,” he paused, trying to collect himself, but Minghao’s soft eyes and comforting touch on his hand encouraged him to continue, “but I want.. to see how far I can go right now. If that’s alright with you.”

“Please don’t ever be afraid to tell me your true thoughts, Lotus,” Minghao’s voice was full of love, filling the air between them with passion, “I will treat you with as much care and love as any flower deserves.”

“Then,” Junhui bit his lip after speaking, shy over the feelings in his chest but encouraged by the knowledge that they’re reciprocated, “for tonight, can you… not treat me so finely? Can you… bruise me the way a flower shouldn’t?”

To say Minghao was taken aback by these words would be true, but it wouldn’t be the full story. Junhui’s words were like kindling to the evergrowing fire in the prince’s soul. Minghao looked over himself and Junhui, his mind foggy but attempting to clear it in some way. Jun had removed his sash and exposed his underobe, and this was the most they’d ever shed in each other's presences. Before he could stop himself, Minghao was pulling his outer robe completely off, letting it fall behind him, and after that was shed, he pushed the elegant robe off Junhui’s shoulders as well, the thin navy cloth exposing the true outfit beneath. The prince tucked a finger beneath the tight sash around Jun’s waist, but made no move to remove it yet, instead looking at Jun to silently ask for permission. 

His cheeks burned, but Junhui couldn’t deny how much he wanted the clothes between them to be gone. His fingers gripped Minghao’s shoulders until his knuckles turned white, yet he nodded and looked at the prince with resolve. The sash was pulled free from his waist, but contrarily, his breathing only felt more constrained. His chest was rising and falling dramatically as Minhao pushed the heavy navy blue outer robe off his shoulders as well, but upon closer inspection, Minghao’s breathing had grown heavier, too. They both had shed their outer robes, but before the prince could get an advantage on him, Junhui reached forward and pulled Minghao’s inner robes apart, the prince aiding in peeling the robes completely off his body and leaving his upper body completely bare. 

Junhui looked over Minghao’s body, his palms on his shoulders to support him. Minghao was a prince and an artist, and his body portrayed that perfectly. A sturdiness and strength only lifelong, intensive training could provide, but a gentleness and beauty of someone who cared about appearances a little more than normal. Junhui ran his fingers down the body before him, unable to tear his eyes away, and noticed that unlike himself, who had ruthlessly trained in dancing and been hurt in housing incidents, Minghao’s skin was pale and smooth, completely bare from scars. Rather than feeling envious, Junhui only felt shyer to expose his own body, and his shoulders instinctively curled inward.

Of course Minghao would notice it immediately. He pressed his palm to the side of Junhui’s cheek, his free hand resting on his chest and slipping his fingertips gingerly under the hem of Junhui’s inner robe. It was a somewhat invasive touch, but Junhui didn’t mind; in fact, Minghao’s flesh burned against his own, and his breathing deepended at the contact. “If you wish to stop here, Lotus, we can. I don’t want to make you feel pressured.”

“No, I want to do this. I want it more than anything else.” Junhui took a deep breath, trying to calm his wild heart, before shrugging the dark inner robes off his shoulders, the fabric slinking down his long arms to puddle on the floor. Fighting the urge to cover himself, Junhui held himself up on his knees and reached for Minghao’s face with trembling hands, cradling his head between his hands and looking down at him. He felt the prince’s hesitant hands rest at the small of his back, electricity shooting up his body at the faint touch, and he held Minghao’s head close to his chest. He was practically dying from his own heart beating out of his chest, but he was so, so happy. 

Minghao was careful not to move too fast, lest it scared Junhui away, but he couldn’t help himself from pressing his ear against Jun’s breastbone. He heard his heartbeat behind his ribcage, and from where Minghao was pressed against his chest, he kissed the skin that was available, causing Jun to shudder from the sensation. The dancer began gently running his fingers through Minghao’s hair, his strained breath fanning over the top of Minghao’s head. The fire inside grew too hot, and Minghao couldn’t help himself any longer, beginning to kiss Jun’s chest before him. The taste was so sweet on his tongue combined with the light leftover taste of salt from his dance, just like a delicate sugar treat from the inner palace walls. With every press of his lips against Junhui’s skin, he felt the younger grow hotter against him, felt his breathing grow more uneven, and felt Jun’s grip in his hair tighten. 

What was it that Junhui had asked?

To be bruised?

The prince pulled back by only an inch to observe Jun’s chest, observing the marks across the expanse of skin before him. Junhui’s chest was splotched red, and several faint bruises were already developing on the skin. Watching his chest rise and fall, watching Jun’s body jerk with every caress, it invigorated the prince in a way he’d never been before. He rested his chin on Junhui’s chest to look up at him, and Junhui looked down to meet his gaze, his fingers still shakily combing through the long bangs of the prince. It was actually quite funny; long hair is a symbol of status, that was why Minghao’s hair was several inches longer than his own, so some considered Minghao’s haircut somewhat sacrilegious. No matter who you were, however, you couldn’t deny how attractive he was with it. 

While he was lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Minghao leaning closer, and he felt himself get pulled in, the prince kissing him passionately. Their bodies were pressed as close together as they could, but they wanted to be closer, closer, closer still. Minghao’s hands pulled him closer, and Junhui lowered himself on his shins on either side on Minghao’s hips. It seemed to hit only then what kind of position they were in, and more presently, how incredibly aroused both of them were. It was one of those things that you don’t notice, but the moment you do, it’s all you can focus on. The realization alone made Junhui’s entire body flush pink and burn beneath Minghao’s fingertips, but within seconds, he was whimpering into the kiss and subconsciously moving his hips down. 

The moment Minghao heard his small sounds, he knew what kind of event this now was, and what it now entailed. He was aroused, and he knew Jun was aroused, but Junhui wasn’t ready to take things to the furthest extreme yet. It was something Minghao understood, and something he had to take great care of. Minghao gently caressed Junhui’s cheek, guiding him to meet his eyes, and when he did, sparks flew in both of their chests. The prince exhaled softly, smiling gently as he spoke, “I can help you if you’ll allow.”

Junhui’s pupils were blown wide, hiding his pretty brown irises, but nothing could hide the fear on such an expressive person. His hands fell from Minghao’s hair to his shoulders, fingertips digging into his skin to anchor himself. “Without... anything too extreme?”

“If by too extreme, you mean sex, then yes. Without anything too extreme.” Minghao’s smile softened as Jun’s expression grew shy at the word, but he only gently moved his thumb against Jun’s sharp cheekbone to reassure him, “trust me, Lotus. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.”

“I do trust you, more than anyone I ever have.” Junhui’s eyes closed as if he were collecting himself, and Minghao watched as he bit his lip dangerously deep, watched as he attempted to control his urges. When he opened his eyes again, he looked a million times more sure in what they were doing, and in himself. “I’ve never done anything like this before… but you’ll take care of me. I know you will.”

For some reason, those words struck a chord in Minghao. Junhui was sure of what they were doing, trusted him with his body in one of the most delicate parts of a relationship, openly claimed him in front of his coworkers merely an hour ago, and an overwhelming feeling of love overtook Minghao’s common sense. He smiled widely, happily, at Junhui and rested their forehead against each other’s, placing a light kiss on Jun’s lips as if it were a gift. His hands gently caressed Junhui’s sides as he spoke softly against his lips, not daring to bring his voice above a whisper, “I love you so, so much.”

Junhui’s smile could be felt against his lips, and it was probably ten times wider than his own. A cute, happy laugh exited his mouth, drawing one out of Minghao as well until they were left exchanging laughter amongst each other, their hands wandering slowly over each other’s bodies to make Junhui feel more comfortable. Junhui’s hands in particular kept moving along the prince’s chest and shoulders, caressing down his biceps and back up to his neck. His smile widened slightly as he stared at Minghao with stars in his eyes, his thumb lightly grazing his jawline. Minghao looked at Junhui, with eyes full of love, and saw the same amount of affection reflecting back at him. Even if he couldn't say it, there was no doubt in his mind that Junhui loved him as well-

“I love you, too.”

The prince blinked as Junhui’s words registered in his mind and a surprised laugh escaped his lips. Minghao smiled up at him before kissing the tip of his nose, his hands resting on Junhui’s waist and his thumb drawing circles on his skin. “You just keep surprising me today.”

A giggle that escaped Jun’s lips made Minghao’s heart pound, and his grip tightened ever so slightly around his waist. “I just… wanted you to know.”

Minghao leaned in and kissed Junhui again, the dancer kissing him back again, and again, and again, so happy and fulfilled and so in love. Junhui’s hands on either side of the prince’s head gently cradling him as they traded kiss after kiss, and Minghao thought that there was no better location for these trysts, sitting here by the lotus pond with only the lanterns lighting their passions. 

After he was sure Junhui’s nerves had settled, he lifted his hand to take Jun’s wrist, pulling it down to the small space between their clothed crotches, his free hand resting on the dancer’s thigh, careful not to get too close too fast. Junhui looked from his hands to Minghao’s eyes, nerves shining behind his eyes, but there was no fear in his gaze, now completely taken over by trust. Minghao crept his hand only an inch closer, as if asking permission to touch him, and immediately Junhui nodded, his chest rising at the idea alone. The prince nodded in return before slipping his hand beneath Junhui’s trousers, watching him tense immediately as his fingers made contact. Instead of pausing and letting Junhui catch his breath, he took his hand holding Jun’s and pushed it inside his own trousers, hearing a squeak escape the dancer’s mouth as his hand was guided to hold Minghao’s cock. 

“Look at me, don’t look anywhere else, look at me.”

Junhui met his eyes, and Minghao nodded encouragingly, their hard breathing mingling in the space between them. The prince wrapped his hand around Junhui’s shaft, thumb on the tip to spread the precum gathered there. It wouldn’t be long for either of them, but Junhui’s virgin body would hardly take anything. He could feel the dancer trembling in his grip, but Junhui’s eyes never strayed from his own, though his free hand was digging its fingernails into his shoulder. 

“I’ll take care of you.”

Nodding shyly and pulling himself closer to Minghao, Junhui buried his head in the crook of the Prince’s neck and breathed heavily against his skin as he whispered, “Please.. Please do.”  


He sounded so desperate, so in need of care, that Minghao wasted no time in moving his hands to release them both. He didn’t attempt to try anything fancy, to tease, or to play, but only to give his love a quick release. Soon after he began, he witnessed how sensitive Junhui’s body was: immediately as he began to move, high pitched whines and keens escaped his lips, his free hand almost clawed into the prince’s skin to leave streaks of red that would sting for days, and his body writhed and rolled from where it rested against Minghao’s own. Progressively, the writhing worsened, and Junhui’s sounds grew breathier and breathier until he was rocking with each breath, his fingers tangling tightly in Minghao’s hair. Minghao tried to watch him as best he could, but his own climax grew nearer as he worked them both simultaneously. 

What he didn’t know, however, was Junhui was hyper-focusing on every groan and moan that left his lips, and combined with the heat from his body and the smell of his sweat, Junhui was in complete and utter bliss. He choked on a moan that tried to escape, and his eyes crossed as a sudden wave of pleasure overcame him, causing his toes to curl and his head to loll on Minghao’s shoulder. 

Minghao watched Junhui’s expression as he reached his climax, unable to tear his eyes away from the look of complete ecstasy encompassing his features. Without him realizing, he sped Junhui’s hand on his cock, exhaling shakily as he struggled to keep from being too loud in the public space. It didn’t take long before he joined him in release, his free hand holding Junhui’s waist close to his own and burying his nose into Junhui’s hair. 

They sat there for a minute, trying to regain their breath. The prince eventually fell back onto the wooden floor, pulling Junhui on top of him as he did so. Getting carried away, he rested his hand on Junhui’s head, gently threading the hair through his fingers and enjoying the feeling of Junhui’s body against his own. He felt the dancer nuzzle his neck as he got comfortable, and he smiled happily. “I’m sorry if it wasn’t everything you’d dreamed.” 

Junhui shook his head, his hair tickling his neck from where he rested, “It was perfect, you need to give yourself more credit.”

The prince laughed before kissing the top of Junhui’s head, burying his nose into the top of his head to inhale his scent. “Let me know when you’re ready for all of it. I’ll wait for you.”

“I don’t know when that’ll be, though.” Junhui’s disappointed voice made Minghao snicker, and the dancer propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look at Minghao’s face. “We’ll be able to do this more often, at least?”

“How else would you get used to it?”

Junhao stuck his tongue out at Minghao before cuddling closer to him, the prince pulling one of the discarded robes over the dancer’s back in case a worker decided to interrupt them, “When will you have to leave?”

“Yibo rented a room-”

“You’ll be here a while then, let’s sleep until someone comes to get you.”

Minghao chuckled at the way Junhui spoke, so casual and informal and so unlike he usually was, but so, so cute. He pressed another kiss to Junhui’s forehead.

“I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you more.”


	7. Chapter 7

Junhui fiddled with his sleeves as he made his way to the third floor of the Red Leaf, his excitement still not quite diminished. The moment he’d just shared with Minghao had been so romantic and lovely, just the two of them by the lotus pond, the words they’d exchanged so full of love and purpose. His heart was racing at the memory alone, and he couldn’t wait for the next time Minghao would visit. The fourth prince had told him he’d return as soon as time would allow, and they’d kissed as they parted. As Junhui stepped up the last flight of stairs, he could feel his lips tingle with Minghao’s kiss, and other parts of him as well.

He opened the door to the shared bedroom slightly and peaked inside. It was late into the night, but someone had a light on. He wondered vaguely if it was Yuta waiting up for him, and he exhaled in relief.

“Took you long enough.”

The sudden voice behind him startled him into almost slamming the door shut, and he turned around with wide eyes to see Xiao Zhan smirking at him. His robes and hair were in disarray, much like his own, but in addition to the puffy lips they both shared, Zhan had a very noticeable limp. Junhui looked at it and had a brief thought of “that was almost me, too.”

Zhan brushed past him and entered the room, dragging him inside by the elbow. He didn’t seem surprised by his disheveled appearance, instead guiding him to his personal chest in the far corner. “We’ve got to clean up for tomorrow, you’ll be sore if you don’t take care of yourself now.”

“But we didn’t-”

“Could’ve fooled me. Have you seen yourself?”

Junhui blinked before taking the mirror Zhan was extending his way. He slowly let his eyes turn to his reflection before letting out a surprised yelp at the sight. His lips were swollen like a blowfish, and their color was almost blood red. It almost matched his flushed cheeks, but it all paled in comparison to the youthful glow that emanated from him. He looked back up to Zhan, the smirk still in place on his lips, and realized he had the same glow. The glow the courtesans usually had after leaving the second floor.

His cheeks flushed even further, and he silently placed the mirror back in the chest. He didn’t need to look at him to see Zhan’s smug grin, but he luckily didn’t say anything more on the matter. “Take your robe off, put this on the marks he left. And put this on your lips; I can see how dry they are from here.”

Junhui pouted but began disrobing along with his friend. He hadn’t seen the marks left behind yet, but if his chest looked anything like Xiao Zhan’s, he would need the balm. 

“Damn, you let the prince eat you.”

“Is it that bad?” Insecure, Junhui wrapped the loose inner robe back around himself and looked down at his hidden chest, “it doesn’t look so different from yours.”

He heard a laugh, and he looked up to see his friend’s kind smile. His own chest was exposed, and it really didn’t look that different from his own, but Zhan had always been more open than him. “The first time Yibo and I did anything remotely sexual, I wasn’t nearly as marked up as you are. Fourth Prince really must not be shy.”

Junhui shook his head as he pulled his robes apart once more, unable to contain a shy smile at the memory of earlier. “He’s really endearing, actually, Ge. He treats me so well.”

Even though they were taking care to be quiet, Xiao Zhan held a finger to his lips as one of the musicians rolled over in their sleep. Junhui copied the movement with a small smile on his face, and the two friends giggled softly before continuing their cleanup. They talked for a short while about their late night trysts, knowing their secrets were safe with each other, before finally laying down together on their cots. 

“Ge? Do you really think our stories will have a happy ending?”

“I can’t say for sure. But I think so.”

“Even the prince and I?”

“The prince loves you too much, anyone would be able to tell.”

Silence fell between them before Xiao Zhan spoke again, “Trust Minghao like I trust Yibo. You’ll have your happy ending.”

Junhui smiled to himself in the dim room before nodding. The faint light coming off the bug lamp illuminated Xiao Zhan’s back turning towards him, and he turned his attention to the wooded ceiling. He remembered earlier once more, but this time only the loving words they’d exchanged rather than their actions. He could hear Minghao’s voice calling for him, and he smiled widely at the vision on them under the pergola, smiling to himself as he thought:

I hope our love lasts a lifetime. 

“What did you do to that child?”

Minghao chuckled at Yibo’s words, his gaze watching the scenery pass through the carriage window. “Just what he asked, nothing more or less.”

He heard his cousin scoff, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw him cross his arms across his chest in a playful manner. “God, I pity that boy. Having to deal with your sickness must be exhausting.”

This time, the fourth prince looked to his friend with a questioning brow, his tone somewhat hesitant, “what sickness?”

“Love sickness.”

The prince didn’t come at the usual time the next day, and it made Junhui somewhat nervous. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions immediately, but even late into the night, the prince still didn’t show even after his performance. He expected him to send word, but there was none. Even the next day, there was no appearance of any member of the royal family. Zitao, who had been receiving training as a server, faced growing anxiety from not seeing the second prince in many days. After the third day of hearing no word from Minghao, Junhui could not suppress his fears any longer.

After what happened that night, was Minghao finally regretting their affairs? It had barely been three weeks of them knowing each other, but their romantic feelings had progressed very rapidly. Junhui was no fool: people lied all the time, especially to him, a low class brothel dancer. If it turned out that he was being played by the prince, he would be crushed. He doubted he would be able to recover. 

Junhui sighed as he pulled his hair into a ponytail, his eyes looking into the mirror but not seeing. It was the fourth day of not hearing anything from Minghao, and his heart was so forlorn even his dancing quality had decreased. Today would be the rare occasion where instead of dance, he would sing. Xiao Zhan graciously swapped stages with him, and it would provide a nice change for the accustomed audience, so Yukhei and Luhan allowed it. He was grateful, but as he looked over the hair accessories, his eyes caught on the ornate glass lotus pin Minghao had crafted just for him. Carefully, he picked up the pin and held it to the window, the light of sunset hitting it just right and making it sparkle like diamond. 

He loved Minghao, more than he ever thought himself capable. That night they shared under the pergola proved the prince’s feelings for him- well, proved them further than they already were. Junhui smiled softly as he pushed the pin in place and secured it with his hair. He looked over his reflection one final time before adjusting his robe. It was time for his stage.

“What if he’s upset at me for not visiting him in several days?”

“I don’t think Zitao could ever be upset at you.”

“What if they’ve been treating him badly?”

“The royal family personally asked them to take him in. I don’t think anyone would be brave enough to mistreat him.”

Minghao smiled at his brother’s nervousness. He, Yifan, and Sicheng had been swamped at the palace with lots of new developments, but it wasn’t anywhere near the amount of stress Kun was dealing with as crown prince. For the past few days, the palace had been virtually cut off from the town, to the point where he couldn’t send a messenger to Junhui during that time. He needed to make sure it was explained immediately, which was part of the reason they were coming so late in the day. As dusk settled in, Junhui’s set would be done, and they would be able to get some alone time. 

The carriage stopped outside of the Red Leaf, and they all filed out. They were mostly quiet as they entered the teahouse, save Yifan’s nervous mumbling, but it allowed them to hear the beautiful voice singing inside. As they waited at the host’s stand, Minghao glanced towards the stage to catch a glimpse of the singer but did a double take when he saw Junhui was the one sitting on stage.

His lotus was dressed in a pink, slim fitting hanfu, and from where he sat on the short stool, the skirt draped down in a lovely fashion. Beside him and a bit to the left was Yuta playing the guzheng, but it was a soft and slow melody to highlight Junhui’s beautiful voice. It was light and airy, as if he didn’t quite have enough oxygen, but his serene expression and easy tone contradicted the idea entirely. He tilted his head to the side as he sang, just for a moment, and something glistened atop his head, drawing the prince’s eyes there. He was struck once more when he noticed he was wearing the lotus pin from before, perfectly complimenting the pink robes he wore. 

A jab to his ribcage brought Minghao back to reality, and he looked forward to see his brothers already several steps ahead. Clearing his throat, he caught up to them and attempted to pull his eyes away from the stage, but it almost proved impossible. They sat at their table, and the servers arrived to dress their table with wine and scorched rice. The commotion drew Junhui’s attention. They made eye contact, and his smile grew ever so slightly wider, but his voice was stable as he continued his song. Minghao was struck again by how talented his lotus was, and he watched the rest of the performance with a small smile, completely ignoring his brothers’ conversation. 

Junhui sang a few more songs before he finally stood from his seat. The whole room clapped and praised him, whistling and hollering. Yuta stood beside him, and they bowed together. They paused on stage, and before Minghao knew it, Junhui was running in his direction, sitting beside him pressed against his side. Minghao smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of Junhui’s face, his lotus clinging to his arm and staring at him with eyes full of love. 

Minghao chuckled and brushed Jun’s cheek, holding himself back from kissing him right then and there. “I’m sorry, I haven’t been able to visit in a few days. Did you miss me?”

Watching him nod with that wide smile filled his heart with pride, and he pulled Junhui closer to hold him. “I’ll explain everything, it’s actually quite funny.”

“It’s funny for us since it doesn’t affect us that much.” They turned to Sicheng and noticed Yuta was sitting beside him as well, and though he wasn’t as close as Junhui was to Minghao, it was considerably closer than the last time he’d seen them together. “Yuqi threatened to kill herself if they didn’t rescind her and Kun’s marriage agreement.”

That achieved an appropriate reaction. Both Junhui and Yuta sat up straighter, and Yifan hit the back of Sicheng’s head, causing him to yelp and pout. “You need to keep your mouth shut. These are important royal matters; at the very least lower your voice.”

Sicheng shrugged and took a sip of his peach wine, gesturing to Yifan with his cup, “Maybe you should be paying more attention. Where’s your little lover boy?”

“You know I can’t just-”

“We can call him out if you would like. He’s just resting in the kitchen. He’s been missing you, and he talks about you every day.”

Who would think someone so big and scary looking could look so nervous and shy? Yifan’s brows knitted together and his mouth opened and closed like he was unsure how to proceed. Yuta didn’t give him another look before calling over a server passing by and asking him to send Zitao out at their convenience. A panicked expression flooded Yifan’s face, eyes wide and skin paling. 

Minghao watched the interaction with a soft smile on his lips, but he had something more important he needed to address. He turned back to Junhui, his smile morphing into a small pleading look. “Because of Yuqi’s threat, Kun was swamped with loads of meetings and punishments. We weren’t allowed to leave lest it caused any rumors to spread. I wasn’t allowed to send a messenger to you. I apologize for not telling you sooner.”

He didn’t know what he expected, but he watched Junhui’s expression carefully. He sucked his lower lip between his teeth and his brows furrowed slightly. It didn’t take long for his shy smile to return, and he even looked somewhat bashful. “You have your royal duties. I can’t expect you to make time for me every day, Minghao. It would be selfish of me to do so.”

The prince chuckled, unable to prevent himself from running a hand over Junhui’s arm and taking note of the soft feel of the fabric. “I don’t think you could be selfish if you tried.”

“I could be when it comes to you.”

Completely disregarding their surroundings, Junhui smiled cheekily as he spoke, clinging tighter to Minghao’s arm and leaning closer. In fact, he leaned so close, the tips of their noses were barely an inch apart, and Minghao couldn’t even stop himself from closing the distance and gently bumping their noses together. 

“I hate to interrupt you two lovebirds,” Sicheng’s voice invaded their moment, and they pulled away slightly to meet his teasing gaze, “but need I remind you that you’re in public?”

Minghao sighed and nodded before attempting to pull his arm away from Junhui’s grip only to realize his lotus didn’t let go. He looked to Junhui in amusement and noted the determined look in his eye as he looked at Sicheng. “I believe the Third Prince is just jealous of his brother for being able to display his affection publicly.”

Such brazen words had Sicheng coughing in surprise. Yuta rubbed his back with care, but he was giggling at the truth in Junhui’s words. “Go easy on him, Ge, you know how delicate the princes can be.”

“That sounds really condescending.”

“Sorry, Sicheng-”

“Yifan!”

All five of them turned to the call just in time to see Zitao barreling himself right into Yifan’s broad chest. The second prince immediately held the boy close before checking him over, words of worry spilling from his lips before he could stop them, “Xiao Zi! How are you feeling? Have they been treating you okay? Your hands- are they working you too hard? I know, I’ll send you an anointment to heal your hands when they get hurt.

Zitao giggled as Yifan looked over his hands, attempting to reassure him but his words not calming the beast. Minghao snickered at his brother’s actions before taking a sip of his wine, offering the glass to Junhui after. His eyes turned bashful at the thought of sharing a cup with him, but his cheeks grew red as Minghao proceeded to press the cup against Junhui’s lips and tilt it back for him. As shy as he was, Junhui accepted the gesture, but as soon as the prince took the cup away, he buried his face in his shoulder. When the prince laughed at the action, he heard it rumble within his body, and it resonated somewhere deep within himself. 

“Why so shy? This is nothing compared to what we’ve done before.”

Junhui hit Minghao’s chest before pulling away, huffing and releasing his arm in feign anger. “You’ve lost your privileges for today.”

“What? Privileges?”

“Yes, privileges. Privileges to touch me.”

“Wait, Juni, I’m sorry-”

His hands snaked around Junhui’s waist pulled him close, the dancer’s back colliding into Minghao’s chest. He attempted to wriggle out of his grasp, but the more he wiggled, the tighter Minghao held him, even burrowing his nose into the crook of Junhui’s neck to tease him. It worked, of course, and Junhui immediately began giggling, shying away from the touch but having nowhere to go except deeper into Minghao’s chest. 

Resigned to his lover’s touch, Junhui faked a distressed sigh before relaxing back against Minghao. “You are nothing more than a child, sire.”

“You don’t mean that-”

“Wow, Jun-Di, you’ve grown bold.”

Cold words from above drew the table’s occupant’s eyes to its source. A courtesan none of the princes recognized stared their lovers down, and not only did Jun and Yuta stiffen, Zitao also visibly hid in Yifan’s larger form. Her icy gaze hovered over each of them before turning back to the one she’d called, Junhui. She looked down her nose at him and drew her shoulders back as she spoke, “seducing a prince is a serious offence. You should be careful.”

Minghao looked down to gauge Jun’s expression, and though he was pressed frightfully against him, his expression contained not just neutrality, but slight annoyance. Junhui moved closer into Minghao’s arms, surprising the others at the table by his somewhat confident air. “Insulting a prince’s consort is a serious offense. You should be quiet.”

Her jaw dropped at the brazen retort, and her eyes burned in fury. Her body almost shook with anger, and though her sleeves covered her shaking fists, there was nothing to hide her voice wavering in rage. “Jun-Di, I suggest you remember your place. You are-”

“-still a member of this house, Yin-Jia, I know. But this is not the type of conversation to have in front of the princes. Do you really wish to be executed for insulting them?”

Just like that, Minghao remembered the woman’s face from the very first day they’d arrived at Red Leaf, the one Junhui had cowered under as she’d advanced on Kun with her friend. That was barely a month ago, but with his focus on Junhui, he’d completely forgotten about her. Even now, Minghao was captivated by Junhui’s confidence. Despite Junhui’s threat, her expression didn’t calm; in fact, she seemed even more livid. 

“Have you no shame-”

“What a thick face you have.”

Attention shifted to who’d spoken, and was it any surprise it was Minghao? He glared at her, eyes so full of disdain, it was a wonder she was still standing. He gently pushed Junhui to sit up on his own before standing regally, his tall form and princely air drawing the room’s attention, but he was focusing on the woman before him. Even now, she looked indignant. “You’re the one who should be more shameful, speaking in front of my brothers and I in that despicable tone. What kind of person are you to be so disgustingly sour?”

Her eyes looked around the room and to the other princes’ eyes, finding nothing but contempt behind every iris pointed at her. Still, she had not given up completely. She calmed her expression, but refused to lower her head. “I merely speak the truth, your highness. I speak for your health and wellbeing; these feelings are this wretch’s attempt at using you-”

A loud crack sounded through the air as the fourth prince struck her, Xiao Yin immediately collapsing to her knees and clutching her swelling cheek. He’d slapped her so hard her hair had loosed itself, falling messily around her face. She turned burning eyes up to her assaulter, but Minghao’s disgusted expression silenced any retort she could have had. His eyes looked at her as if she was scum beneath his shoe, though he didn’t think she deserved to be even that. 

“Your pride is wasted on me, wench. You are talking to the fourth son of the emperor, and yet you still talk back to me. I may have no claim to the throne, but I am above a penny whore peasant like you.”

Yukhei approached the scene, his head and back bent towards the princes in respect and apologies. “I sincerely apologize for how our staff has treated your highnesses this evening. We will deal with her appropriately.”

Minghao scoffed as he sat back down at the table, not giving Yukhei or Xiao Yin another glance. “By dealing with her appropriately, I hope you mean dismiss her entirely. She’s nothing but an ill groomed menace to all of us.”

His words were harsh, but his tone was almost dismissive. He had nothing against Yukhei, but he couldn’t be lenient in front of this many eyes. Yukhei understood this, he could tell by his tone of voice, and played the part perfectly. He got on his knees and bowed low to the ground before speaking again, “I will inform the owners of the situation here today and of your request. They will make the proper decision.”

The fourth prince nodded and looked at Xiao Yin once more. She looked almost pathetic, but he could see the way her fingers dug into the wooden floor. He jutted his head in her direction before pulling Junhui against him once more. “Get her out of my sight.”

Junhui watched Yukhei bow and pull Xiao Yin away, her crumpled form looking devoid of her usual fire. Yukhei was strong, but several other servers rushed to his side to help drag her lifeless body into the back rooms. Slowly, the people in the room went back to their conversations, and the dancer looked up to Minghao beside him. He’d exposed his identity here to protect him from Xiao Yin’s bullying, and now he was smiling with his brothers as they completely moved on from the scene. Seeing his eyes so bright when they were just so full of hate was jarring and scary. Though Minghao had treated him with such care, he could not forget how powerful, or how dangerous he was. 

Despite all this, he wasn’t afraid of him. If anything, he was touched. And a little warm.   
“She’s such a pain, hopefully we won’t have to deal with her again.”

“After what our dear brother said, I don’t think we will.”

Minghao laughed bashfully and scratched the back of his head. “I may have exaggerated a bit, but she was just so disrespectful. If Kun were here, she may have at least kept her tone polite.”

“Still,” the princes turned to Yuta as he spoke, Sicheng’s arm now around his shoulders affectionately, “I feel bad. She may have been wicked, but this is all she has.”

The table was silent as his words sank in, the princes deep in thought as they debated between listening to their lovers and protecting them. Particularly, Yifan’s embrace grew tighter around Zitao, too protective and worried over him to give in. Minghao looked down to Junhui in his arms and nudged him encouragingly. “What do you think? She targets you the most, so I’ll let it be your decision.”

Junhui’s doe eyes staring up at him radiated such a sweet innocence that tore at Minghao’s heart. He wanted to shelter him from every cruel thing in the world, but he knew what Jun would say before he even opened his mouth, “I want her to stay.”

Minghao sighed reluctantly even as he nodded, placing a nurturing kiss on Junhui’s temple. “I couldn’t care less if she lived or died after how she treated you, but I’ll talk to Yukhei.”

“Thank you.” Junhui paused after speaking, as if there was more to his point, but he didn’t say anything more. The prince waited patiently for a few seconds before a sound drew his attention and he turned away. Immediately after he turned away, he felt the quick press of lips on his cheek, and he froze under their soft touch. Junhui had gone back to his previous position, but Minghao still remained still. He turned his head back to look at his lover shrunken against his chest and noticed the blush painting his cheek. Minghao pulled Junhui closer, a small yelp escaping the dancer’s mouth as the prince moved in closer to his face.   
“Are you trying to drive me crazy?”

Junhui was about to shake his head, but he was still trapped in Minghao’s gaze and found himself unable to move. The prince had dark, almost black eyes in a way people might believe to be cold, but Jun only found warmth and love in them. They were so beautiful in their simplicity, and before he could stop himself, he lifted a hand and gently touched his pointer finger to the corner of Minghao’s eye. His prince didn’t flinch at his touch; instead, his eyes were caught on the wondrous expression on Junhui’s face, his wide doe eyes staring at his touch, mouth ever so slightly agape enough to see the tips of his teeth beneath his top lip. 

Yes, he seriously must be trying to drive him crazy. 

“Brother, if you could spare us this display of affection. It’s quite rude.”

Minghao turned his eyes to Sicheng, slightly disgruntled to have to look away from Junhui’s eyes, but he continued to hold his lover close in his chest. “Why? Bitter you’re the only single one of us?”

“Why don’t you get closer to the one beside you? I’m sure he would like to join.” 

Junhui’s words made Sicheng blink, taken aback, and look to his right, Yuta’s eyes meeting his own at the same time. The two blushed and quickly looked away, but after only a few seconds, Yuta leaned into the third prince’s arms in a stiff manor, and everyone had to stifle their giggles at the pair’s embarrassed faces. In an effort to take attention away from them, Yuta cleared his throat and changed the subject, though no one missed the way he’d nestled closer into Sicheng’s embrace, “So what’s gonna happen with Kun and Yuqi?”

Yifan sighed, his hand brushing through Zitao’s short hair as he spoke, “It still isn’t decided completely, but for the moment, what else could they do? They postponed the engagement in an attempt to pacify Yuqi, but our father won’t let go of it so easily.”

“And Kun?”

“The blame has settled on his shoulders for not winning her heart, and he was punished heavily. He’s bedridden right now from the wounds.”

Junhui shifted in Minghao’s arms, looking up at his lover with eyes crinkled in concern for the princes, “is this because of what’s going on between Yuqi and Yukhei?”

The fourth prince gently brushed the hair down his back, his shoulders moving up and down in a slight shrug. “It’s hard to say. Yuqi was adamant before, but now she just has more reason I think. Yibo told me she is quite taken with him.”

“If it wasn’t already obvious,” they turned to Yuta, his devilish smile twinkling in mischief, “Yukhei has been happier as of late, and more often than not staring out the window towards the palace just like our Juni.”

“As if you don’t do it yourself-”

“I do not-”

“I hate to interrupt, Fourth Prince.”

The occupants of the table looked to the side to see Yukhei already kneeling beside their table, his hands folded respectfully but his head raised in Minghao’s direction. Junhui watched the prince smile at him, and he was happy to see Yukhei smile in return. “I wanted to inform you that Xiao Yin has-”

“Please, I don’t want her dismissed.”

Yukhei’s eyebrows flew up at the words, his eyes blinking in surprise. He leaned forward, his head falling to the side as he stared at Minghao, “I don’t mean to question, but why? Earlier you were intent on having her fired.”

“Junhui asked me. I let it be his decision.”

Junhui jerked against his chest, cheeks coated in blush at his actions being revealed. He hid his face in Minghao’s chest just to ignore Yukhei’s penetrating stare. Minghao smiled softly and ran a hand down his lover’s back, looking at Yukhei to continue the conversation, “he and Yuta asked her to stay since this is all she has apparently, and I really don’t care enough to go against their wishes. Just please try and keep her attitude in check in the future. If I hear her speak that way in front of us in that manner again, I won’t let it go so easily.”

Not for the first time that evening, Yukhei bowed low in his direction, hands folded respectfully above eye level. “If only Prince Minghao was known more for his kindness and generosity. I will go speak with the owners once more, and since it is word from the prince himself, I doubt they will have any issue.”

“Let us know if there is any. You have been so considerate to us, but even we know there are limits of what you can provide.”

Yukhei turned his bow in Sicheng’s direction, his head lowering slightly more in respect. “The princes are so considerate. I apologize again for Xiao Yin’s disturbance.”

He bowed once more, forehead touching the floor, before standing and backing away from the table. As soon as he was out of sight, Junhui slapped Minghao’s chest, his face as pink as a lotus. “Why would you tell him it was my idea?! Now she’ll target me even more!”

“If she dares to do that, then she deserves the fate you saved her from.” Minghao’s face had turned stern, eyebrows furrowing slightly and the corners of his lips downturning. Junhui’s stomach turned slightly sour even though he knew the feelings were not directed at him; just knowing he felt so strongly for him to get upset like this caused strong emotions to stir within. He lifted his hand and cupped the prince’s cheek, his other hand reaching up to gently massage his wrinkled forehead with his thumb. 

Slowly, the gruff expression melted away, and soon his prince was looking at him with that sweet smile once more. Unable to hold himself back, a loving grin emerged across his own lips, and he gently bumped his nose against Minghao’s. Befoe he could pull away, Minghao leaned forward and quickly pressed their lips together, admiring the loving, surprised look on Junhui’s face. Minghao smiled, sure that was the end of it, but the air left his lungs when Junhui leaned forward in turn, pecking his own lips even faster than before. It went like that, both of them exchanging the quickest of kisses, both their cheeks flushed pink and their lips glued in a permanent smile. Around them, his brothers cooed and teased, but they didn’t interrupt them any further. He was thankful, because with the warm lanterns around the room casting such beautiful flickering shadows across Junhui’s face, he wanted to stay uninterrupted in this moment for as long as he could. 

Was “Forever” an option?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that took a few months ;-; school started, family members died, I got a job, yknow life. I can't promise consistent updates going forward but I'll update as often as I can. 
> 
> What do you want to see next in this story? We still need YuWin to get together, and we aren't even close to unlocking Zitao's past....


	8. Chapter 8

Mornings in late summer were warm, but they carried a nice breeze to cool. During these times, businesses often left their windows open, and Red Leaf was no exception. Thin curtains fluttered as wind blew inside, swirling around the legs of the workers preparing for the long day ahead as courtesans slept in their beds. Alone in the kitchen, Zitao was practicing his cooking, because for such a delicate guy, he was quite the clutz when it came to making food. For some reason, he could never do it right. His first day, they’d showed him how to scorch the rice, a simple, easy recipe with almost no room for failure, and yet somehow he still managed to burn the rice black on his first attempt. 

It had been a week since then, and slowly but surely, Zitao was getting better. Though a little smoky, his scorched rice was now edible, and RenJun had promised to teach him how to make crackers and biscuits later today. So here he was, fumbling around the kitchen, furiously making scorched rice to warm up. It was his daily chore, but a weird anxiety in his stomach told him that he must practice and practice if he wasn’t going to disappoint everyone. 

At the brothel, he didn’t have anyone to talk to about these fears. Sure, Junhui and Yuta were nice and they always made an effort, but Zitao couldn’t exchange but a few sentences with them before his head grew light and his vision turned black. He really didn’t want to isolate himself from them, but the only time he was comfortable was when he was alone. In fact, the only person he didn’t grow exhausted socializing with was Yifan. 

He let out a sigh as he pressed the rice down in the pan, thoughts too far away to be focused. RenJun told him about the gestures of food, giving homemade treats to lovers as a gesture of affection. He wanted to do that for Yifan, but his cooking was… 

“Zitao!”

Snapping back to reality, he looked down and registered the smoke coming from his scorched rice. RenJun ran forward and pulled the pan away from the fire, grazing Zitao’s arm in the process. The boy reeled back in pain, the smoke filling his nostrils as he inhaled, choking him. He coughed as the burn shrieked, his heart racing and knees swaying. With his good arm, he clawed at the counter for stability, but his own weight felt heavy as lead, and he collapsed on the wood floor. A sharp pain radiated through the back of his head, and the world fell black before his eyes. 

-

𝐻𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟, 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒. 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑓𝑡 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑, 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑑. 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑧𝑒 𝑡𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔, 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡, ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐻𝑒 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒, 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑚. 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑠, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑠. 𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛, 𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟.

“𝐽𝑖𝑎, 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙?”

“𝑂𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒. 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔?”

“𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙,” 𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟, ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑜𝑤 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑢𝑝, “𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑦, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝑦𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤?”

“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡.”

𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑤, 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑑, 𝑓𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑓 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑝. “𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒.”

“𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒?”

“𝐼 𝑑𝑜, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠. 𝑆𝑎𝑦 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑚 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒. 𝐴𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟, ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦.”

𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑’𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡, 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡, 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒. 𝐼𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑔𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑐, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐? 

“𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠, 𝐽𝑖𝑎? 𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠?”

𝑆ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑑, 𝑝𝑙𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛. “𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑟, 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑒𝑟, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤? 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑚 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒.”

𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘, 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑦𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒. 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟, 𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑏 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑𝑙𝑦. 𝐴𝑛𝑥𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑦. 

“𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜.”

𝐻𝑒 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙, 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑠, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒. 

“𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜.”

𝑆𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝, ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑟, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑤 𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑘. 𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑡, 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑔𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑦 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑚, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑠. 

“𝑍𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑜!”

𝐻𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑢𝑐𝑘 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑢𝑎𝑙, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑠𝑜. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑, 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑑, ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟, 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑟𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐. 𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦, 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠. 

-

“Zitao!”

He gasped, coughing and sputtering as he came back to reality. The light was bright behind his eyelids, and he felt a tight pressure around his forearm. There was something cold on his forehead, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the cloth pressed there. 

“My god, what happened? RenJun said you feinted.”

What did happen? Zitao squinted towards the voice, and slowly, Junhui’s face came into view. He groaned and brought his hand up to his head, applying pressure to his temples, and Junhui immediately checked his wrist. 

“Your qi is all messed up. You should go back to your room and rest for the day.”

“No, I’m fine now.” It wasn’t a total lie. The headache was almost completely gone, only the remnant throbbing left behind, and his vision had cleared up completely. He tried to sit up, using his grip on Junhui’s forearm to assist the movement, and he pulled the damp cloth from his forehead as he did so. “I had the weirdest dream…”

“Dream?” Junhui moved around him to get a better look at his face, worry and curiosity lining his features, and Zitao knew why, of course: dreams, especially ones seen in moments like this, were not to be taken lightly. “What happened in your dream?”

Zitao tried to remember, but it was so fuzzy. He rubbed his palm against his eyelids, but the more he tried to remember, the more his headache returned. “It was this girl and I… and we were talking about love.”

That seemed to surprise Junhui as much as it’d surprised him; he leaned back, eyebrows furrowed and lips slightly pursed. “Were.. the two of you in love?”

To both of their relief, Zitao shook his head. Despite being unsure, he found only platonic feelings and thoughts towards her in his heart. “I can’t remember, but… I feel like I know her.”

“Was it perhaps a courtesan here?” Junhui looked toward the kitchen door, thinking about the Red Leaf residents beyond. “Or perhaps a customer?”

“No… I don’t know.” Zitao sighed, a sadness settling in his heart. For a reason he could not explain, he missed the girl from his dream. He stood up from his place on the floor, holding onto the counter edge for balance, and dusted himself off. Only then did he notice his arm was bound, probably from where RenJun had burned him earlier. “I should get ready for my lesson-”

“RenJun said he was excusing you for today, something about how this was enough stress for the both of you today.”

Zitao exhaled in relief, drawing both of them into a fit of giggles. Just then, the kitchen door opened, and they looked to see Yukhei standing in the door frame with a smile on his lips.

“I hate to interrupt, but our ZItao has a visitor.”

He only ever had one visitor, and the thought of seeing Yifan like this was enough to send Zitao to the grave. He immediately rushed to the water pail across the room and splashed the cold water onto his face, rubbing it away with his sleeves. No doubt he was covered in soot and starch, and the last thing he wanted was to approach Yifan noticeably dirty. 

“I can always tell him to wait-”

“No, no, I’m good.” Zitao looked at Junhui, silently asking for approval, and he earned a thumbs-up in response. He dusted himself off as he walked through the kitchen, the events of not even five minutes ago shaking him and causing an odd anxiety to set in his stomach. 

Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to see Yifan today-

He looked up in time to see Yukhei open the door to a secluded private room, the man he was just thinking of sliding into his view, and almost instantly, their faces lit up in bright smiles. Zitao stepped forward, waiting for Yukhei to close the door behind him, and promptly fell to his knees beside Yifan, the larger wrapping his arms around him to hold him close. It had been a few days since the Second Prince had visited, but even that little time apart was too much to bear. 

The prince began running his fingers through Zitao’s short hair, neatened up from its choppy state when he’d found him but still just as charming. “Were you busy? I didn’t mean to interrupt you with my sudden visit.”

Zitao shook his head, pulling away just enough to meet Yifan’s eyes. “I was just…”

His voice failed him, mouth left half open as he attempted to find the right words. He couldn’t very well just lay that weird dream on him, not when he himself could barely remember all of it. No doubt, it would only worry Yifan if he told him what had happened in the kitchen-

“Zitao.”

The warm voice beside him drew his attention, and a rough palm was pressed against his cheek in a soft caress. Yifan was so gruff and harsh, but he always handled him with the gentlest of care. Sadly smiling, Zitao placed a hand on top of the prince’s and felt his resolve and fears crumble. The movement allowed his robes to fall back and expose the bandage on his forearm. “There was just an accident in the kitchen earlier when I was cooking. I got overwhelmed and feinted, but I’m fine! Really!”

He’d attempted to soothe Yifan’s worry before it grew too much, but the way his eyes widened and he’d reached for his arm wasn't a good sign it had worked. “What happened? How did you injure yourself?” The hand on his cheek pulled him closer, the rough pad of his thumb brushing over his cheek as he spoke, “and you’re so pale today.”

Zitao blushed under his intense gaze but still attempted to ease his worries with a gentle smile. “I’m fine, really. I was distracted cooking and burned the rice I was making. RenJun Di pulled the pan from me, and I got burned in the process. It’s okay. Promise!”

Yifan’s worried eyes bored into him, eyebrows furrowed together as he judged him. His stomach dropped, knowing he didn’t believe his words. He didn’t even need to say so. Zitao’s shoulders slumped forward, and his lips twisted into a weak smile. “I had a dream while I was out. I was with a girl in this beautiful field, and her presence brought me so much… comfort? I can’t explain why, but I feel like.. I know her, and I miss her.”

“Did it occur to you that this might be a memory from before?”

The smaller looked up at Yifan, his own insecurities shining through bright eyes. “But what if I loved her before? What if I remember and I love her again? What if I remember and stop caring for you?”

Admitting these words both lifted a weight off his shoulders and caused guilt to settle in his stomach, and his shoulders slumped forward, head bowed. He felt Yifan’s arms encircle him once more, but slowly, deliberately, with care in every touch. The guilt inside only grew the longer they were in contact, but he couldn’t stop himself from burrowing into the touch. 

“That’s not going to happen.”

“But-”

“Zitao, look at me.”

Slowly, Zitao lifted his eyes, expecting to see sternness within Yifan’s eyes but meeting instead a gentleness he recognized. It was that same light within Yifan he fell for upon his rescue. “We don’t know who she is or even if she was someone important to you, Tao-zi. We simply cannot tell from this memory alone. But you wouldn’t be so worried if your feelings for me were ingenuine.”

The truth in his warm words soothed the angst in his heart, but not by much. His mouth opened slightly but closed soon after, again and again, floundering in uncertainty. “But what if-”

“Stop with the ‘what if’s, Tao-zi,” Yifan softly spoke, once again holding Zitao’s small face in his large hands. He had this look on his face, a lighthearted, calm expression that was his equivalent of a peaceful smile. “There is no need to be bothered by an uncertain future. You know you still love me at this moment, right?”

Pouting, Zitao nodded twice, his cheeks warm against Yifan’s skin. One of those hands ghosted upwards, and his fingers gently folded into the raven strands atop Zitao’s head. “Then we have no reason to worry, hm?”

Yifan was a strong, silent type of man: quite cold and impersonal compared to the other royal siblings. He was burly, rough, hardened from war where his siblings were smoothed from the arts. If any of the princes could replace Kun as Crown Prince, it would be Yifan. He was intelligent, well versed in both politics and the art of war, and he was even knowledgeable about art like Minghao even if he wasn’t as skilled in that area. These were great things he’d come to learn about Yifan in the time they'd shared. Unfortunately, he’d also learned that he was recluse and stoic, and when he felt emotion, he preferred to hide. Zitao didn’t think war had done this to his beloved, rather that he’d always been this way ever since birth. But what he’d said when he’d been rescued, when he told Yifan he thought he was a nice person, he’d meant every word. The more he learned about the second prince, the more obvious was the kindness written throughout his soul. 

Swept up in his emotion, tears welled upon Zitao’s lower lashline, and Yifan’s callus fingertips wiped them away. Despite their rough texture, Zitao only felt secure in their embrace, an emotion he didn’t think himself capable of feeling ever again. “Yifan, even if I recover my memory, and there are things that try to force us apart, do you swear to stay by me? To never leave my side? I… I don’t think I can bear it if I have to leave you.”

As he spoke, Zitao’s head bowed once again, this time deeper into Yifan’s arms, his forehead resting atop the second prince’s breastbone. His deep heartbeat was faint, but it’s gentle thumping provided Zitao a sense of security. Like he was real in his hands and not some elaborate dream. 

“I swear, Tao-zi.” Muscular arms wrapped around his frail frame, and he burrowed deeper into his chest, bone-thin hands weakly grabbing at his shoulder blades and twisting fistfulls of loose fabric. The scent of his lover was flooding his nostrils, suffocating him in the best way possible. “I swear I will stay beside you forever. Even if one day you wake up and decide you no longer want me there, you’ll never be alone in this world again.”

Zitao relaxed in his arms, pressing his ear to Yifan’s left pec in order to hear his heartbeat more clearly, listening to the gentle pumping for so long until eventually their heartbeats synced together, beating as one love. “That day will never come.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but cute moments, no?? 
> 
> I am now a full fledged student at a major University, I moved out of my house and into my student housing, and I got my Associates last semester, so it's been a busy busy two months. 
> 
> We finally have some of Zitao's backstory, can anyone guess what's gonna happen with him ;) I think next chapter we'll do some cute JunHao and finally have a resolution for our poor Kun and Yuqi. (I'm not forgetting about YuWin, they'll be there too. We can even dive into Yuta's backstory if you want, just let me know)


	9. Chapter 9

Bellflower petals rained from the sky as Kun walked through the palace, not paying any mind to the servants who silently bowed as he passed. The coral petals were a reminder of summer and the hot days behind him, but hopefully they would not be a grim memory in the coming future. He had been called to appear before his father, and he had seen hide nor hair of the man since the commotion last week. He clicked his tongue in slight disapproval as he remembered Yuqi’s coarse method, but it was in the past now; no use dwelling on what couldn’t be changed.

He exhaled calmly as the attendant called his name, and, after the doors slid apart, he stepped within the paper walls. As he approached his father, Kun kept a polite smile on his face, and he kneeled and bowed respectfully. “You requested my presence, Father.”

“Yes, I did.” His father placed the paper he was reading on the small table before him, lightly aged eyes turning on his eldest son before him. “You came quickly.”

Kun smiled again, bowing his head slightly in acknowledgment. “I was taught by the great emperor himself.”

Luckily for him, his father was fairly easy going; he laughed shortly at Kun’s words, eyes crinkling up. “Good, good. I needed to speak to you about your engagement with Yuqi.”

His muscles stiffened, sitting up straighter ever so slightly. He dared not utter a word, lest it angered his father and sent another beating his way-

“She’s been causing so much mess over the whole situation, and it doesn’t strike me that she’d be a good empress for you, so I’m cancelling the engagement.”

The wind let out of his sails, and he looked up at his father with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape as he sputtered for words, “I thought you were firm in your decision?”

“Yes, well,” his father exhaled pointedly as he shifted in his seat, raising an eyebrow in Kun’s direction, “don’t think you’re off the hook yet. Just because you aren’t marrying Yuqi doesn’t mean you’re not marrying anyone.”

Immediately, Kun shook his head, relief slow to replace the shock. “Whatever you decide is what I will do, Father, that is how it has always been.”

“In any case,” Kun looked up at his father’s words, eyebrows brought centerward in confusion at what he could say, “I need to find you a new suitor, but the only female relatives we have that aren’t spoken for are your sisters. This will take time, time I’m not sure we have.”

Kun nodded, head bowed in understanding as his heart finally filled with relief. It was always expected of him to marry whoever his father said, but the idea of it not being Yuqi, with all her impulsivity, brought him solace. “Whatever decision you make, Father, I’ll follow it.”

Even without looking up, Kun could see the proud smile on his father’s face in his mind, speaking words that brought embarrassed blush upon his cheeks. 

“You’ll make a fine king someday.”

-

“Really? He rescinded the engagement?”

Minghao nodded as his thin fingers combed through Junhui’s long hair, fingernails gently scratching the scalp that laid in his lap. They were in a private party room with everyone else; Yuta and Sicheng were huddled together across the table, sicheng reading and Yuta sneaking honey crisps, and beside them, Zitao was braiding strands of Yifan’s hair together with a small smile on his lips. In the far corner, Yibo was lazily lounging between where the walls met with Xiao Zhan sitting in his lap, his head resting on Yibo’s left pectoral. With all four of them crammed in this small room, it was a tad stuffy. It was lucky the lovers preferred to stay close. “Kun and Yuqi are now free for the time being. Kun was mostly just relieved, but the second our father told her, Yuqi rushed us all down here so she could tell Yukhei.”

“Yeah, who knows what those two are doing right now. All alone...”

Many of them snickered, but Sicheng lifted a hand and gently hit the back of Yuta’s head, causing him to yelp and pout. “That’s my young cousin you’re speaking of. You should worry for your boss; she'll eat him alive.”

“In other big news,” attention turned to Yifan as he spoke, Zitao’s expression turning bashful, “Taozi is beginning to remember certain things about his past.”

Applause erupted from the room’s occupants, and Zitao moved to hide himself in Yifan’s side, still uncomfortable with attention on him. “Thanks… Thanks everyone, for helping me in these hard times.”

“What have you started to remember? Anything juicy?”

He shook his head in Zhan’s direction, causing the questioner to purse his lips in distaste. “All I can remember now is small things, like my favorite flowers and dances. And I don’t think I had many friends in the past; I keep only seeing just one girl, no one else.”

“At least we know Zitao wasn’t a player-”

Yuta was cut off with another yelp, and he turned to glare at Sicheng beside him, his hand still up from when he had hit Yuta for the second time. “Does that really need to be said in front of my brother?”

“What is your favorite flower, Zitao?”

ZIta turned to Yibo behind him, his shoulders relaxing as a bright smile spread across his face, so bright, in fact, that Yifan felt he might be blinded. “Plum blossoms!”

But Junhui wasn’t paying attention. Watching Yuta rub his head, eyes turned towards Third Prince in both jest and care, Junhui felt embarrassed by the emotions echoing between them. He redirected his own attention upwards and gazed upon his prince, Minghao, looking so handsome in his baby blue robes with green ribbon and trim. Junhui hesitantly reached up and touched his cheek, soft against his fingertips, and gently slid his palm upwards to cup his cheek in his palm. Minghao turned towards him, looking down at him with a loving smile, and buried his hand in his hair once again, gripping the strands gently at the base of his scalp. 

The sensation felt so foreign, but it caused Junhui to tilt his head back into his grip, letting his hand fall and forearm rest across his forehead. He blinked up at Minghao with half open eyes, completely oblivious to how he looked in Minghao’s eyes. His neck was exposed, upturned jawline defining it further, his chest rising and falling ever so slightly, light breaths escaping from between his lips-  


He couldn’t stop himself. Junhui’s purity was special, his innocence to be protected, and yet watching this lewd action tested limits he didn’t know he had. Strewn so elegantly across his lap, he felt a rush of emotion overtaking him. How could he describe it? It was inspiration and lust and admiration and love all at once, a tidal wave of different and contradicting sentiments crashing over him. These feelings twisted and repulsed and conglomerated in his rapidly beating heart until he couldn’t decipher one from the other, his pupils unknowingly dilating until the dark brown of his iris was overtaken completely.

Noticing this change, Junhui cupped his cheeks, pulling Minghao’s face closer to his own, close enough to feel his breath fan across his face. “What’s happened to your eyes? Are you feeling well, sire?”  


These words caught the attention of the people around them, and Sicheng leaned across the table to get a closer look. He leaned down, turning his head to catch a glimpse of his brother’s downturned face, and snickered upon seeing his brother’s expression. “Oh, he’s feeling just fine, Juni. But you might want to take him to a separate room just in case.”

Minghao’s cheeks felt more aflamed, and he glared towards his trickster brother. “I’m fine-”

“Why does he need to be separated, Prince Sicheng? Is it contagious?”

“Oh no, but you’ll be able to help him. I just think the methods for healing are better suited to be kept private.”

Junhui looked worriedly from third prince to Minghao, and the prince felt his gut twist lovingly at the care in his gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he could notice Sicheng shooing everyone else out of the room, and he mentally cursed him out for putting him in this embarrassing situation. Once the door had softly shut behind them, signaling that he and Junhui were finally alone, Minghao looked towards the door with narrowed eyes. “Asshole.”

“Minghao? Are you really feeling unwell?”

He turned his eyes back to his lover, and his anger melted away at his wide, hesitant eyes. Slowly, a small smile replaced his frown, and he lifted a hand to gently caress Junhui’s cheek as he shook his head. “No, dear, I’m perfectly fine. Sicheng was being overdramatic.”

His eyes followed Junhui’s thin hands as they gripped the front of Minghao’s robe, his fingers twisting into the blue fabric. “Are you sure? Your cheeks looked awfully red, and your eyes grew dark.”  
The prince chuckled softly, pulling Junhui’s face ever so slightly closer. “That’s just because you looked so beautiful, I was struggling to hold myself back.”

Those words had a desirable effect. Junhui’s face flushed, his eyes rapidly blinked. He could hear his heartbeat thumping in his throat as he faced the prince. “Your highness, I-”

Words failed him, he couldn’t speak. His mouth was left agape, open and subject to whatever Minghao’s will would be. A thumb swiped across his lower lip, teasing his plump lip and increasing his own desire. 

“I’m afraid I’ve succumbed to the evilest of demons. I don’t want to damn you as well.”

His words rumbled through Junhui’s very core, pulling himself closer to Minghao before the prince could back away. He even wrapped his forearms around his neck, trapping the prince and forcing their breath to mingle, the heat growing and festering. “You would not damn me. You would be taking me to salvation.”

-

“What do you think they’re doing?”

Sicheng shrugged and flipped the page of the martial arts book he was reading, hyper-aware of Yuta’s form beside him. “Knowing my brother, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were necking up a storm.”

A hand slapped his arm, and he giggled upon seeing Yuta’s stern expression. He folded the book and rested it in his lap before placing his palm on the top of the musician’s head. “I was teasing, more to my brother than your friend.”

Yuta sighed heavily, slumping heavily against the arm of the prince. “Is Fourth Prince really a good person? He isn’t promiscuous is he?”

“No more than myself.” Yuta glared up at him, and Sicheng smiled nervously, hoping to appease him. “I mean… I mean…”

“Watch your words, sire. I don’t care if you’re a prince; don’t say anything you’ll regret.”

He could tell these words held no humor, and he exhaled to collect his composure. “I don’t mean that either of us are immoral. Minghao and I often acquainted ourselves with servants around the palace when we were younger, more immature, more curious. Well, I say that, but I was the one who did it the most. For him, I can only remember two or three in his entire life.”

Looking at Yuta, he still didn’t look convinced. Unbeknownst to him, Sicheng smiled charmingly in his direction, bright enough to cause pink flush to bloom across Yuta’s cheeks and the bridge of his nose. “All that is to say… Minghao is serious about Junhui. You have no reason to fear.”

Watching closely with trained eyes, he noticed Yuta’s front teeth gently chew on his lower lip, eyebrows furrowed cutely. A warm smile grew on his face, a candle-like warmth growing in his chest and only spreading further as he heard Yuta speak. “What.. about you? Do… Do I have any reason to fear your intentions?”

The brazenness of the question surprised Sicheng, and his face instantly flushed beet red at the topic. “Ah, you could have given me a bit more time to prepare myself before asking that type of question…” 

Expectant eyes rested upon him, and he smiled sheepishly in Yuta’s direction, awkwardly rubbing the nape of his neck. “If you’re asking if I’m serious about you, about pursuing your affections, I am. My licentious past doesn’t define my present feelings.”

“If you say so,” Yuta’s words were playful but laced with doubt, the insecurity driving a knife in Sicheng’s heart. He didn’t want to hurt him in any way, and he definitely didn’t want there to be any miscommunication or unneeded feelings between them. Before he could think, the prince put his palms on either side of Yuta’s face, pulling his face close to his own. It was unexpected for the both of them, and their bodies turned red with embarrassment. Their noses were barely an inch apart, breath mixing together and creating an intoxicating potion. It took the air from their lungs, and the same question rang and echoed throughout both of their minds for several long seconds.

What do we do now?

“Um… Prince Sicheng?”

“Yes?”

Yuta’s arms wrapped around his neck, pressing them ever closer until the tips of their noses grazed each other. “I believe… this is the part where you kiss me.”  


Bold. Sicheng chuckled softly, gazing fondly at Yuta before him. “Of course. How could I forget?’

For months of buildup, maybe this kiss happened too fast. Their lips folded together seamlessly, bodies pressing together until there was no distinguishing them among the pile of robes. Yuta’s lips were warm and sweet, lips laden with honey, and they were so inviting, pulling him in deeper and deeper until he was suffocating. His hands fell from Yuta’s face to his waist, holding his small frame in his arms and only then realizing how fragile he feels. An overwhelming desire to protect him surged in Sicheng’s chest, filling his soul to the very brim and overflowing in utter and complete happiness.

Yuta hummed against his lips, low and content and mellow, and parted his lips to welcome him inside. The scent of honey was pungent, suffocating, choking Sicheng in its sugary intensity. It tasted so familiar, not the honey, but his kiss. Yuta’s kiss was familiar, he was familiar, something he’d been missing his entire life until now. Completion. Home.

He broke the kiss, too many emotions welling in his chest to continue, and pulled Yuta to his chest, burying his face into his hair to hide the water in his eyes. The dancer’s hands fisted in the front of his robes, trembling weakly. 

It was so much, too much. After pining after the third prince for months, verging on a year, here they were, sharing such a tender moment. It was everything he’d ever hoped for, more than he’d ever dreamed. More than that, the second their lips had touched filled him with a violent electricity. It was exhilarating, liberating; he felt like he could do everything, anything, as if he could fly far away, gliding on the wind current accompanied by flowing flower petals.

Completely, utterly, free. 

“Yuta?”

“Mmh?”

“You’re from the East Island, correct?”

“That's right,” he raised his eyes to look at Sicheng once again, his face a mask of curiosity. “Why do you ask?”

“Do you miss it? Your home?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yuta said as he straightened his back, voice haughty with fake disdain as he playfully glared in Sicheng’s direction. Without looking, he ran his fingers across Sicheng’s shoulders and down his arms until he reached his hands, absentmindedly fiddling with his fingers. His own fingertips were calloused and scarred from the gouzhen, but Sicheng’s hands weren’t much better: rough palms with veiny forearms caused by overexertion. He traced his forefinger up one such vein, tantalizingly trespassing the hem of Sicheng’s robe before skirting back down and intertwining their fingers. He gazed at them with such admiration it made Sicheng’s heart swell twice its size. After another second’s thought, Yuta raised his gaze once again, and he smiled in the prince’s direction, far too wide and happy to be considered proper, but neither of them cared. “My home is right here.”


End file.
